Heart of a Wolf
by Hermione Granger - Top mind at Hogwarts
Summary: Okay, this is a fic I am writing with a friend of mine. Actually we're roleplaying it out. At any rate, it's post war, AU. Remus Lupin bites Tonks during the battle and it's their story.
1. Prologue

The battle was finally over and Voldemort was dead. Those who had survived surveyed the battlefield with sorrow and regret, seeing so many of their fallen comrades was a sight that was too much to bear. The sounds of weeping filled the air, as well as the painful moans and cries of those who were gravely injured.

Remus walked gingerly along the field, looking for anyone he knew. He had transformed last night during the heat of the battle, it had been his worst transformation ever. This last battle had raged for days, and he hadn't been able to concentrate on keeping track of those he loved, let alone remembering to take his Wolfsbane potion. He had bitten someone too. For the first time ever he had bitten another human being, he just couldn't remember who it was.

Remus found Harry and Ginny curled in each other's arms, Ginny was sobbing uncontrollably as he tried to soothe her. "It's all right Ginny, it's over," Remus heard him saying softly. He watched the young couple with a mixture of sadness and relief. Yes, the war was finally over, but so much had happened, things would never be the same.

Tonks stirred painfully. Her head throbbed, every fiber of her being was wracked with pain. But worst of all was her right wrist. She looked down to find that it was cut very badly and bleeding profusely. She didn't remember what had happened, but those wounds didn't look as though they had been made by a wand. She felt lightheaded from the loss of blood and knew that she would lose consciousness again shortly. Lifting her head a couple of inches off the ground, she looked to see if she could see Remus and saw a figure coming towards her.

Remus kept walking around the battlefield, growing more and more worried by the moment. He needed to find Tonks, he needed to make sure she was all right. He couldn't think of the war as a victory if she were not at his side, happy and alive. He spotted her raised head and he ran toward her, falling at her side and pulling her into his arms. She was breathing... she was alive. "Thank Merlin you are okay," he said breathlessly.

"Remus, I'm glad you're okay too," she said weakly. "We won? He's really dead?" she said, tears in her eyes, "Harry, is he alright?" She moaned weakly as he banged her injured wrist and fought to keep conscious. "Please tell me Harry and the others are alright."

"They are fine, he is just comforting Ginny," Remus said tenderly as he took care of her wrist. He stopped in the middle of wrapping it up and looked at her horror-struck. "What happened to your wrist?" he demanded.

"I...I don't know. I don't remember what happened to it. Must have been some spell that hit me, maybe that one that hit Hermione in the Ministry of Magic," she said, feeling safe in his arms and fighting the urge to close her eyes.

Remus very carefully removed the scrap of cloth from her arm and looked at it again, fear coursing through his body. _Oh no... please no... not Tonks_. He touched her wound very gently, knowing that if it was what he thought it was, it would hurt like Hell. She whimpered softly as he brushed his fingers against her. "Tonks, I'm so sorry," he cried softly.

A flashback entered her mind then; a wolf pouncing on her, biting her then letting go as a spell shot towards it, "Remus, I remember...a wolf...got me..." she said, before lapsing into an unconscious state brought on by the pain and the loss of blood due to her injury.

"I was that wolf Tonks, I attacked you. I'm so sorry," he choked in anguish. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the area where medical help was being given. Nothing could save her from her fate now... she was just like him.


	2. Adjusting

Tonks lay in her bed at St. Mungo's hospital, going over the events of the past week in her mind. They had told her that she had been bitten by a werewolf, and she still had nightmares about that. She wasn't allowed any visitors, save for the healers which came and went out of her isolated room. Many nights she cried herself to sleep. Not because of her plight, but because Remus hadn't even sent her an owl or anything. She hadn't been sure who the wolf was that had bit her; there were only two that she knew of and they were Fenrir and Remus. She had looked forward to this day because it was the day that ended her isolation, and wondered if anyone would come to see her. 

Remus waited outside the door of her room with a large box of chocolate frogs. He was nervous about going in, what if she didn't want to see him? He wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't, after all, he was the one who had caused her this life of pain she was facing, but he was also someone who knew how to handle it. He could help her through this if she let him. He took a deep breath and entered the room.

She looked pale and withdrawn lying in her bed, facing the window. His heart clenched as he once again told himself that he had done this to her, it was his fault. "Hello," he whispered and she turned to look at him.

Her face was a mask of confusion, sadness, and hurt. "Hello Remus," She said, offering him a small smile. It had hurt her that he hadn't tried to contact her or anything while she was in here. Strange things were happening to her and she didn't know how to deal with them. They had people in there who were trying to help her to adjust, but none of them had gone through it themselves. (done)

He felt pain sear through him as he saw the hurt on her face, he wanted to protect her feelings, not destroy them. "I brought you some chocolate," he said nervously, placing the box on her bedside table. He stood uncomfortably for a moment, but finally grabbed a chair and placed it beside her bed so he could hold her hand. "I'm so sorry Tonks, I never meant to hurt you..." he began to babble, letting out all the thoughts he had closed up inside of him, "Don't you know that I would never hurt you? You mean so much to me..." He bit his lip and kept his gaze away from hers. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, I hurt you too badly."

"Thanks for the chocolate. You know that's my weakness," She said, smiling a bit brighter than she had been. "And Remus, stop beating yourself up for not owling me. I just...thought it would be easier to go through this with someone who knew what I was going through. They said I was bit by a werewolf...things are happening to me that I don't know anything about and I really could have used the advice of someone who understood..." She said, sighing.

Remus was taken aback and he let her hand go. "What has any of this got to do with owling you? I thought that after I had attacked you, you wouldn't want me around you," he said in a confused tone. He hadn't owled her because he was afraid to get them returned to him unopened, it would have broken his heart to have it happen. Somehow she thought he was apologizing for not sending word. It didn't make any sense to him... unless she hadn't thought that he was the one who had attacked her. He looked at her face in horror, he had just admitted to attacking her when she hadn't known about it. What would she do?

Tonks looked at him in amazement, then said quietly, "I knew that it was either you or Fenrir, and I have the feeling that had it been Fenrir I wouldn't be alive today." She took his hand back and held it in both of hers, "Remus, I don't blame you for what happened. We were all in the heat of battle and you couldn't very well say wait I need to go take my wolfsbane potion. If you'd had even the slightest frame of mind more lives would have been lost."

Shifting on her bed, she turned and looked deeply into his eyes, "Remus Lupin, I love you and nothing will change that. Honestly, if I was going to be bit by a werewolf I am glad that it was you. I have heard that it creates a special bond between the two people. We will weather this together."

Remus took her hand again and brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "I love you too Nymphadora Tonks, I'm not complete without you," he said softly, gazing into her eyes. "I was so afraid when I thought you would turn against me. I wish this hadn't happened, but I will help you make the best of it. It's easier to transform in groups, I'll help you through this love, I promise."

Tonks smiled broadly, "I am sure I have a lot to learn about my new 'lifestyle' I guess I should call it," She said, laughing a bit nervously. "They really need a good counselor here at the hospital, you know? Someone to help people like you and me understand what is happening to them." She shook her head, "All they have told me all week is how to 'adjust." With this, she rolled her eyes. "They need to actually hire someone who understands because not all of the new werewolves have someone to turn to, you know?" Tonks knew she was babbling, but for some reason she couldn't stop.

"I'm assuming a ravenous appetite is normal?"

Remus picked up on her teasing and playful mood and decided that since she was trying to have a positive outlook he could tease her a bit as well. "Well, it's either that or you are pregnant," he said casually.

"No, definitely not," She said, laughing herself, "But that does beg the question, what happens if that should happen in the future? If we had children, I mean? Are they born infected, or are they born normal? Perhaps it's like the wizard thing, where children to two magical parents can either be magical or a squib? So many questions, Remus..."

Remus sighed and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I wish I knew all the answers love, perhaps you'll have to ask someone who deals with issues like that. I'd like to have children someday," he admitted with a smile. From the moment Tonks had first told him of her love he had dreamed of a family with her, even though he refused to let her into his heart. That was long over with now, but he wondered what would happen now. Would she still want to get married and raise a family? Would she consider it to dangerous? Only time would tell he supposed, but for now he was just happy that they were both alive and still together.

Tonks reached up with her free hand and stroked his cheek. He looked so old, so tired, so careworn but she knew that she looked no better. The war had been difficult on both of them, but now it was over and it was time for them to live, to enjoy life as it came. "Remus, we had talked about marriage before but the fact of your condition was always an issue, which made it rather worrisome. Now that it's no longer a consideration and now that the war is over, I'd really like to revisit that discussion if you are willing."

Remus felt tears well up in his eyes and he didn't make a move to brush them away when they fell. "How in the world was I lucky enough to find you?" he asked softly. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss to her lips. "We will talk about everything when you get home, for now I want you to make the best recovery you can. I know some children who are worried sick about you."

Tonks smiled wistfully, "I'm the one who is lucky, Remus," She said, wiping the tears from his eyes while crying tears of her own. "Do they know? Or do they think I was just injured in the battle?" She asked, not knowing which she was wishing it was. In a way, she wished that they already knew because she knew that breaking the news to them would be rather difficult. But she also knew that even if they didn't know, they would accept her just like they accepted Remus. "It doesn't matter to me one way or another, I just want to be prepared."

He began to absently stroke her hand again while he thought of what to tell her. "You see, Harry saw it happen, you were trying to protect him it seems. He also knows it was me, and so he told everyone before I had the chance to explain. You know how impulsive Harry is," Remus said with a small smile. He had been put out when he found out what Harry had told the others, so he called them all together to explain what had happened with the Wolfsbane potion and Tonks. They seemed more relieved after hearing it from him, though Hermione and Ginny were in pieces about Tonks.

"Does that mean she will be a werewolf too?" Ginny had asked. He had nodded gravely and both girls had cried softly. It had been emotional for everyone.

"Tonks, everyone misses you, I'm supposed to give you a big Get Well hug from everyone, but right now I think your body is too fragile for that much pressure," he kissed her forehead lightly, lingering on her skin. He loved this woman with all his heart, and he would do anything to see her recover as much as she could.

The enormity of what had happened overwhelmed Tonks, and she stifled a sob. She had been told by the healers that she would go through a period of emotional adjustment and it had hit her really hard before today. Knowing that Remus was with her did help make things a lot better. "They said that I can go home in a few days," She said, wondering where exactly home should be. Would Remus ask her to move in with him? She didn't want to be too presumptuous but she was rather nervous about being alone.

He saw the frightened look in her eyes and immediately squeezed her hand. "What's wrong love? Are you remembering something? Are you worried about how the children will act around you? I can assure you that they will love you just as much as they always have," Remus explained tenderly, brushing some of her hair out of her face. Perhaps she had heard the news that he had, that it would take some time for her body to function normally again, and she wouldn't be able to transform like she used to until her body was healed.

"Is it your transformations?" he asked.

Tonks shook her head, "No, it's not the transformations. I think I have been in denial this past week. I mean, I knew that it happened, and I knew that my life has changed forever, but I guess until now it hasn't really hit me. I know that they will be wonderful towards me, that they will accept me without question. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not afraid, Remus."

She took a deep breath and sighed, "Pretty silly huh? An Auror being afraid. I mean, does changing hurt? How long does it take for us to change?"

Remus sighed as he contemplated her question. "The transformation isn't easy, it's never a pleasant feeling to have your skin ripped off and a beast tear through you," he cringed at his own description of his transformation, but he knew that she would rather hear the truth from him than a watered down version from someone else. "As for how long it takes, it depends on the person. I've known werewolves whose transformations have taken two hours before, and then I've known a few people who transform in five minutes. My transformation is painful, but I am relatively lucky. I only have to endure the pain for a short period of time. Perhaps ten or fifteen minutes."

Tonks shuddered without meaning to, and drew Remus to her. He was so brave and strong, having done this for so many years. "Thank you for being honest with me about it, Remus. I'd rather know the truth and know what is to come than have someone tell me that it's no big deal." She smiled a half smile, "Well, I've been transforming in one way or another most of my life. I guess this is just way of doing it." Her attempt at a joke was lame, she knew, but hopefully it would lighten the mood a bit.

Remus smiled half-heartedly and squeezed her gently. "I would never lie to you about something like this. The people who have no idea of what is coming are the ones that turn out to be bitter and vengeful. At least Fenrir wasn't the one to attack you, he rarely leaves the adults alive. I don't know what I would have done if you had been killed by Fenrir," he admitted weakly. He hated admitting his weaknesses to her, but he knew that right now she needed to hear the truth.

Tonks smiled at him, "I promise to always be honest with you, Remus, as I have in the past. You are someone who has my body, heart, and spirit. I'm going to admit something to you too, if you don't think me too forward for what I am about to say," She said, pausing. "I don't much relish the thought of going home and living by myself now. If it's okay with you, maybe we could get a place together? I mean, if we are seriously planning on getting married at one time or another, we'd at least have that out of the way. I have to warn you though, I'm a terrible slob," She said, laughing darkly.

He laughed merrily and pressed another kiss to her forehead. "It's one of the things I love about you, you are so disorganized and yet you still know where everything is. You have an organized mess," he teased her. Then his thoughts turned to her other comment, getting a house for them. "I agree that we should get a home for the two of us, we will need it if we are going to fill the house with children," he paused for a moment, trying to think of the right way to say this. "You know that I am unemployable and now, so are you, I'm not sure what we are going to do."

Before Tonks could answer, the door to her hospital room opened and Ginny and Harry entered. "Tonks! We're so glad to see you and Remus!" Ginny said, giving them each a hug, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay. I'm glad to see you too," Tonks said, giving Ginny a hug back.

"We came to tell you two the great news. Dad was elected the new Minister of Magic. Scrimgeour was overthrown after the war because, well let's face it, he was a prat. Dad plans to contact both of you soon with regards to some plans he wants to discuss with you."

Remus's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Your father... that's wonderful news Ginny, I'm sure your family is thrilled," he said with a wide smile on his face. If Mr. Weasley was the new Minister, the family didn't have to worry about their financial problems anymore. He was extremely happy for them.

"Yes, Mum cries when it was announced," Ginny said with a giggle. Harry reached for her hand and smiled at her. Remus saw the interaction between the two and he grinned as well.

"When does he want to see us? He'll have to wait until after Tonks gets out of the hospital," he said to Ginny, who nodded.

"I'm not sure, he just said that he wanted to talk to you both as soon as he could arrange," she said with a knowing grin.

"Maybe he wants to offer us jobs," Tonks said half jokingly.  
"By the way, Tonks," Harry said, looking at her, "I want to thank you for what you did that night. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Harry, you have repaid me already by making our world free. No thanks are needed," She said, reaching out and squeezing his hand gently.

"When are they going to let you out of here, Tonks?" Ginny asked quietly.

"A few more days. I can't wait...they never feed us enough around here." She laughed as Harry and Ginny looked at her strangely, since she had never had much of an appetite before. "What? I am a werewolf now, you know."

"It's just too bad that the staff never serves rare steaks," Remus teased her and Harry and Ginny laughed.

"It's all right Tonks, when you get out Mum has instructed us to invite you to the Burrow for dinner, you'll have more food in front of you than you can eat," Ginny said grinning.

"It's true Tonks," Remus said, feeling happier than he had in days, "I can always eat my fill at Molly's and still leave food on the table for everyone else." He winked at Harry and Ginny who laughed again.

Tonks felt more at ease, seeing that Harry and Ginny were treating her as they always had. She had known in her heart that things would be fine, but her mind needed to see it and know it, "So tell me, what are the plans for you two?" Tonks said, looking at them, "I'm sorry I missed your graduation, Harry. I really would have liked to be there for it."

"Actually, they delayed it because of so many people having injuries. It will happen in a week, and I would love it if the two of you would be there. As for what the future holds for us, only time will tell," He said, winking at Ginny, "I have thought about becoming an Auror but I think for now I'd like to live a normal life for a change. Maybe travel."

"I think that you should do whatever makes you happy Harry, you have had very little happiness in your life," Remus said in a fatherly tone. Harry grinned up at his father and Godfather's best friend, with what seemed to be genuine gratitude.

"Thank you Lupin, I think you must have been talking to Mum," Harry said, obviously referring to Mrs. Weasley. Remus was happy that the boy finally had a family he could call his own, he had always wanted it.

"Well, perhaps I have been," Remus said with a wink, "and as for your graduation, Tonks and I will be there, you can count on it."

Ginny smiled, "I will be graduating as well. Apparently it was decided that with everything I have done that I deserve to graduate with Harry, Hermione and Ron."

"Well, you certainly deserve it Ginny. You fought hard and well, and you are one smart witch." Tonks started feeling tired and unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a yawn.

"I think we should go now and let you get some rest," Harry said, bending down to give her a hug. "Make sure you let us know when they let you out, alright?"

Tonks nodded, "Thank you so much for coming to visit."

Remus watched as the young couple left the room, their hands held tightly together. He was glad that they had found each other, but he was even more awed by the woman lying in the bed next to him. He turned and placed a hand to the side of her face. "You need to get some sleep Nymphadora," he whispered tenderly. "You need to get as much rest as you can."

"Please don't leave me, Remus." She whispered back and took his hand so that she knew that he was near as her eyes started to close, "I love you so much."

He moved his chair closer to her bed and squeezed her hand gently. "I'm here, and I promise I won't leave your side. For the rest of my life, I'll be right here," he said and kissed her cheek. He knew that he was telling the truth, he wouldn't leave her for anything, not before this had happened, and certainly not now that she depended on him. They were together for the long run.


	3. Surprise!

Tonks was nearly bouncing off of walls by the time they were ready to release her from St. Mungo's. She had met with her healer that morning and he proclaimed her to be healed, although he warned her not to get too overly exuberant for a week or so yet since her body was still adjusting. She was up and fully dressed, waiting impatiently for Remus to return. He had said he had something to take care of and had been gone most of the morning while she was getting her examination and walking papers.

"Where the heck is he?" She asked, pacing around the room like a caged wolf.(done)

Remus walked into the room, his face alight with happiness. He saw her impatient scowl and he laughed and scooped her up into his arms, placing a sweet kiss on her lips. "I'm so happy to see you up and walking around," he said, not letting her out of his arms. It was as if he was trying to make up for the time he couldn't hold her and kiss her, he just wanted to be close to her. "I hope you are hungry, Molly has made a meal fit for ten werewolves," he teased.

Tonks laughed, "Wonderful. Because I feel like I could eat the whole thing," She said, laughing. "I think I like this idea, being able to eat all I want and not gaining a pound, having a fur coat once a month, and staying fit without even trying too hard. Sounds like heaven to me," She said, kissing him passionately. Just then they heard someone clearing their throat behind them.

"Remember, you need to take it easy for the next week or so. This means all physical activities are limited," With that, the healer turned around and walked back out of the room.

Tonks looked at Remus and laughed, "Gee, can they read minds too?"

"Sometimes I wonder," Remus joined her in her laughter. He loved the way she could make any situation positive, she was a fighter. "We better hurry up to The Burrow, everyone can't wait to see you..." he paused for a moment and then looked her over. "Are you in any condition to apparate, or shall we take the floo?" He didn't want her to do more than she felt she was able to do, anything could push her back over that line of recovery.

"Let's take the floo," She said, smiling at him, "Normally it upsets my stomach but I rather doubt that will be the case now," She said, kissing him once again. She had noticed that all her senses had been heightened since she had been bitten, and it was something that she was enjoying to the fullest extent. 

Remus pulled her close and gave her a slow and thorough kiss, he knew what she was feeling, because it was the way he always felt with her. Especially since she was a new wolf she needed to touch and be close to him. It was a wolfish instinct, the smell and feel of the pack. He knew she didn't understand that yet, but he would help her through it. 

They took the lift down to the main level of the hospital and used one of the fireplaces there. "I'm going to go first all right?" he asked. He could see that she was beginning to get suspicious but he didn't want to tell her what was going on. Instead he tossed some floo powder into the grate, stepped inside and said loudly, "The Burrow"  
Remus spun through the grate and landed on the cobblestone floor of the Weasley's fireplace. Arthur was there to help him up and the men grinned at each other. "Everyone get ready, she should be here any second!" Arthur called out. Remus took his place beside Bill and Fleur Weasley and waited for Tonks to arrive.

Tonks threw some floo powder into the fireplace, stepped inside, and shouted, "The Burrow!" When she had finished spinning through the grate and landed on the other side, she heard "SURPRISE!"

Looking around, she saw everyone gathered there, all their friends, and saw Remus standing there grinning at her, "Oh you! You had this planned all along didn't you?"

Molly went over and gave Tonks a hug and a kiss, "It's good to have you back again, Tonks."

"It really wasn't my idea," Remus admitted. "Molly wanted to do something special for you and I just helped plan it out."

Molly shook her head and made a tsking noise, "Don't let him fool you Nymphadora, he wanted you to come over and see everyone who cares about you. He has planned this from the day he went and visited you at the hospital the first time."

"Mum did take over just a bit," Ron called out and Hermione swatted him on the arm. He rubbed it tenderly. "What? It's true..." he mumbled.

Remus extracted Tonks from Molly's arms and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Let's do a bit of mingling before dinner," he suggested. (

Tonks and Remus walked around, greeting their friends and thanking them for coming. She was touched by the outpouring of support that was shown and was glad to see that there hadn't been many casualties on their side of the war. Going over to Arthur, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I hear that congratulations are in order, Minister Weasley," Tonks said, smiling at him.

"Now how did you know that?" He said, looking at Ginny who was whistling and trying to disappear, "Ginny! You spoiled the surprise!" He said, laughing at the look of horror on her face. "I'm just kidding. But seriously, I do have something I want to talk to you two about later when things calm down."

Remus nodded at Arthur, "Whatever it is that you want done Minister, we would be happy to do."

Arthur grinned broadly at the couple and shook Remus's hand again. "I knew you would accept, and let me tell you, you will both be grateful you did. It's going to be an exciting opportunity," he winked and left them to go and speak to his wife.

Remus and Tonks moved around the room until they found Professor McGonagall speaking with Professor Dumbledore about the up-coming graduation. "This group of students is one of the best we have ever had, I will be sorry to see them go," Dumbledore said with a proud and yet sad smile.

Tonks' eyes opened wide as she saw Albus Dumbledore standing before her and she found herself unable to speak. When she had regained the use of her voice, she smiled at him, "Professor Dumbledore! I am so glad to see you!"

"I am glad to see you also, Tonks. I know that you are also quite surprised," He said, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. "I had asked Remus not to tell you that I was alive so that I might surprise you myself at your party. No doubt you are wondering how I came to be here, hmm?"

"Well...yes. I mean, everyone thought you had died."

Dumbledore smiled at her, "That was the plan. Everything was set up. I had Harry watch me 'die' so that he would stand on his own two feet to face Voldemort. I knew that he had it in him. The spell that Professor Snape hit me with was not the killing curse, but rather a very strong disarming spell. Fawkes caught me, I transfigured something to look like my deceased body on the ground and I flew off. I did it also to give Voldemort a false sense of security. The portrait I had made months before."

"That really is quite a story Dumbledore," Remus said, even though he had heard it a few days earlier. He would never forget the way he felt when he heard the old wizard had died, it was as if part of his life was gone forever. He reached out to shake his hand. "Well, it is wonderful to see you alive and well sir."

"Minerva and I will see you at the graduation this weekend then?" Albus inquired.

"We wouldn't miss it Headmaster, not when the children are the ones being congratulated on their efforts and successes in the war and in school," Remus said proudly as he watched Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny laugh together in a corner of the room.

"That's excellent then. We will look forward to seeing you then," Dumbledore said with a rather large grin.

The rest of the party was spent eating and talking, catching up on old times. At long last, the party guests had dwindled down some and it was only Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys and the two of them. Arthur beckoned to the two of them and lead them into the office he had made in the newly refurbished house. Closing the door, he gestured for the two of them to sit down in front of his desk, "I'm sure the two of you are wondering what I wanted to speak with you about."

"Yes, we are sir," Tonks said, smiling at him. "You know that we are willing to help you in any way we can." She said, taking Remus' hand and squeezing it gently.

Arthur looked very seriously at both of them before smiling gently. "In the new Ministry I have created a new office for part-human liaisons. Remus, I would like you and Tonks to head the Werewolf affairs office, you can create sub-divisions if you like, but make sure to run them by me first."

Remus sat shock still as he looked at Arthur's smiling face. "Werewolf affairs? Has it finally happened?" Remus felt a real spark of hope for the future of werewolves for the first time in his life. "There is so much to be done Arthur..." he paused and looked into Tonks' happy face, "may I request something?"

"What is it Remus, whatever it is just ask," Arthur said still smiling.

"Could we arrange to have Tonks work at St. Mungo's in a few months? She brought it to my attention that the werewolf victims need someone who has been through what they have, and after she has experienced it, I think she would be a good candidate," Remus said with pride in his voice.

Tonks smiled at Remus, silently thanking him for bringing it up. "I remember how alone I felt when I was first bit. They have people in there that talk to you and know about it, but it's not like having someone who knows what you are going through. Remus really saved my life when he came to visit."

Arthur smiled at the young couple, "I agree, that is an excellent idea. I will arrange it with St. Mungo's and when another person comes in who has been affected you will be contacted personally"  
"Thank you so much, Arthur, I mean Minister," She said, laughing.

"Arthur, please. We've known each other way too long to be so formal."

"We owe you quite a bit Arthur, this is an amazing opportunity you have offered us," Remus said gratefully and wrapped an arm around Tonks to hold her close.

"I couldn't think of anyone else who deserves it more," Arthur winked at them and then looked at his watch. "Molly is planning desert in a few minutes and she'll have my head if I keep you two in here much longer."

The three of them walked out of the room, all grinning broadly at everyone. Ginny rushed up and hugged Remus and Tonks again. "I'm so excited for the both of you!"

"Thank you, Ginny. And thank you all for coming. You have really made me feel special," She said, smiling at them with tears in her eyes. They had dessert, which turned out to be a huge cake and then it was time for them to go, sine she was getting very tired. She gave each of them a hug and promised to see them all at the graduation. Turning to Remus, she smiled and kissed him, then realized she had no idea where they were going. "You lead the way, Remus," She said, a big grin on her face.

Remus blushed a furious shade of red. "Would you mind very much going back to 12 Grimmauld Place? Harry is letting me stay there for now, until we have time to find a house of our own." He was terrified that she wouldn't want to stay with him in the house that had been her cousin's, but he needed her with him and so he had to ask. "It is clean though, the house has finally been completely decontaminated."

"Of course not, Remus. I have no problem going back there at all. At least Kreacher isn't there anymore," She said, shuddering, "Let's try apparating, now that I have had a proper meal I think I have the strength to do it." She closed her eyes and pictured 12 Grimmauld in her head very clearly. With a pop, she disappeared. Landing in the living room, she waited for Remus to join her. She looked around and couldn't believe the difference in the house. It looked totally new.

Remus popped into the house beside her. "So, what do you think? I asked Dumbledore if he would mind lending his staff of house elves to finish up the cleaning. They are very efficient and I promised the Headmaster that I would pay them for their services. Only Dobby took the money," he sighed.

Gemmika: Without a moments notice he pulled Tonks into his arms and began to kiss her throat softly. "We have this whole house to ourselves, nothing to occupy out time, whatever shall we do?" he teased.

"I think they did a marvelous job, and Hermione would be proud of you for offering to pay them. Even though I don't think she cares much about S.P.E.W anymore. " She gasped as he grabbed her and kissed her throat, sending tingles up her spine, "Hmm, I don't know." She said, running her hands through his hair as he kissed her softly. She became acutely aware of the new senses that were invading her body and was shocked to hear a soft growling sound coming from her throat as his kiss deepened, "Whoa, did I just do that?" She whispered, her eyes widened in surprise, "Or was that you?"

He pulled away from her a bit with a resigned expression on his face. "Love... I think we need to talk." 


	4. The Beast Within

Sadness filled Tonks' eyes as she looked at Remus, "I'm sorry, this is all so new for me. I don't know what to expect."

"You didn't do anything wrong Tonks, don't think that," he said soothingly and he brought her back into his arms. "There are just things I haven't told you, things I need to tell you. It isn't fair for you not to know," he explained. Without letting her respond he took her hand and led her upstairs to a room he had saved just for them. He led her inside and had her sit on the bed beside him. He didn't know exactly where to start, but when she lifted her eyes to his, he couldn't resist kissing her.

Tonks caressed his face gently, her silver eyes looking into his brown ones with trust in them. She responded to his kisses, then pulled away gently. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently, "Much as I want to continue what we are doing, maybe you should teach me what I need to know first." She took his hand and laid it alongside her cheek, then kissed it.

"You and I are not alone, once bitten you are never alone," Remus explained slowly, trying to come up with the best way to say this. "We aren't full human anymore, we are part animal as well. There is a beast that resides inside of us, it can be called up in many ways. It flourishes during the full moon, for that is when it gets to be free from our human body. Does this make any sense love?"

Tonks nodded, "Yes, it does. I guess I just was a bit surprised, that's all." She laughed self consciously, "I'm guessing you are an old hand at this, having done it for so long. I'm just a pup," She said, laughing at herself. "Or I guess the correct term would be a cub, wouldn't it? Okay, so I know that certain activities can bring it to the surface. I'm guessing emotions can as well? Such as anger? I know that we don't transform unless it's a full moon but the signs are still there, aren't they?"

"There are many ways in which the beast is brought out, anger, strong emotions," he grew silent as he thought of a way to explain the most exciting and frightening way they were brought up.

"Lust is the most frightening of them all. When we kiss or touch, our beast is aroused just as we are. It's not easy to control, but the best makes us more passionate, want more from our romantic interactions. It makes it very hard to go slow, to be sweet and romantic, to go easy. It isn't a concept most werewolves can understand."

Tonks smiled at Remus, "There's a big difference between lust and love, sweetheart. I believe both play a role in our situation, but we have loved one another deeply and passionately despite the fact that we have not been able to express it in a physical or an intimate fashion. Now that we can, I believe that will help us in the long run. Not that I mind a little rough housing now and then. I am, or was, after all, an Auror." She said, smiling in a seductive way at him and giving him a wink.

Remus expelled the breath he was holding and wrapped his arms tight around Tonks. "It will take us some time, but I will teach you how to control your beast, although," here he stopped and pulled away just enough that she could see his roguish grin, "sometimes we won't want to have it controlled. I have heard from other wolves that when you are with someone like yourself, it is an experience you don't forget in a hurry. Your beasts will respond to one another, and you'll feed off the other's sexual feelings." He blushed a bit, unsure of how she would take his comments.

Tonks blushed a bit as well, but what he said made sense to her. "Is every werewolf different? I mean, does the fact that you are the one who bit me make it different than say, if someone else had bit me and made me one? Say if Fenrir was the one who bit me, would you have rejected me because he left his mark on me? I am not even sure if that makes sense, what I am saying." Her mind felt a bit cloudy. Perhaps it was the excitement of his kiss.

"You're right Tonks, if Fenrir had marked you then we wouldn't have quite the connection that we have," he smoothed her hair down and kissed her softly, "but you really don't understand the depth of my feelings for you if you think I would have rejected you because of it."

Tonks sighed, "That's not what I meant, Remus. I meant that because of the way things work in the animal kingdom, especially with wolves. You know, because they mate for life. I didn't know if it would have meant that we couldn't be together. Does that make sense?"

Remus pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her close. "Being attacked is different than being chosen as a mate. If he had..." Remus swallowed the bile that was rising up his throat, "if he had touched you, raped you, then you would be his." He hated admitting even that much to her, she was still so innocent in the ways of the wolf. "When a male Werewolf, or Ulfric, the leader, takes a lupa, his female counterpart, there is more than just an attack involved. It is more a ceremony like a wedding."

Tonks involuntarily shuddered, glad that it didn't happen that way. "That's rather frightening," She said, shaking slightly. "So there's a lot more to that than just being raped. He would have owned me... I had no idea. I'm really glad that it was you that did the attack, then, because had it been him who knows what else he would have done?"

Remus decided to be completely honest with her, she deserved that much. "Fenrir is the only known werewolf who is still in control of his mind when he transforms. He enjoys the slaughter, the pain of others. If he would have taken you... there is no force on this earth that could have stopped me from destroying him in any way I could." He shuddered to think of what her life would have been like if Fenrir had taken her to mate. Remus would no longer have anything to live for, except revenge.

A horrifying thought occurred to Tonks then. "Remus, Fenrir is still alive. What would happen if he found out that we...were mates? Would he challenge you? And if he did, and he defeated you...would he be able to take me as his lupa? Please...tell me the truth." Her eyes filled with pain and fear of what his answer might be.

"No love," Remus was able to say truthfully, "once the ceremony is preformed, either wedding or the mating, even if I died, you wouldn't have the same connection. He wouldn't be able to use your beast or even control it." He bent down and kissed her softly. "Once you are my Lupa, you are mine forever."

Tonks breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. That had me worried there for a moment. I wish someone had been able to kill him, I really do. I know that Voldemort is gone but with that beast still out there, who knows what is still in store for our world? He's what gives werewolves a bad name."

Remus pulled her tighter to him and rested his cheek on top of her head. "Someday he will get what he deserves, no one is able to slaughter young children and the innocent without paying for it in the end," he assured her. They sat like that for several minutes, and finally Remus knew that he couldn't be silent forever, there were still things that needed to be said, questions that needed to be answered. The quickest way to determine them would be to ask her what she needed to know. "Dora? Is there anything else troubling you? Any other questions or fears you have?"

Tonks thought for a moment, "I don't think so, not right now. Everything is just so new. I mean, I smell things I don't normally smell. I think we have a mouse in here," She said, laughing. "Your touch...it's like heaven to me. I feel like every fiber of my being is primed now. Do we have a heightened sense of danger even when we are in human form? I know that animals have a fight or flight reflex."

"Every sense feels more in tune, it doesn't matter which one it is. Our taste becomes more pronounced, we hear better, our sense of smell is heightened, we can see clearer..." he broke off as he ran his fingers down the side of her face, touching her tenderly, "our sense of touch and pleasure are more intense." He felt his blood boiling just holding her in his arms. He couldn't imagine what anything more would be like... probably as if he were on fire. Merlin, he couldn't stop thinking about being near her. He knew that she was still nervous about her new feelings, and yet she couldn't let go of him either. It would be that way for them for the rest of their lives. Touch, and smell were the most important feelings for pack, and pack was family. Tonks was his family. He bent down to capture her lips in another kiss, this one not intending to be soft or gentle.

Tonks responded to his kiss, running her tongue around his lips, nipping them gently, tasting him. She knew then that she wanted him to take her. She wanted him to take her spiritually, carnally, physically; in every possible way he could take her. She felt the night coming on; she heard the sounds of creatures scurrying around in outside. She heard the dry leaves scratching across the pavement. She heard...something else. Her ears perked up as she heard another sound.

Although not as menacing as if she'd been in her wolf form, a growl rumbled in her throat that warned Remus that there was something out there that she didn't like and she could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck.

He broke the kiss and held her to his chest, instinctively moving to protect her. His arms wrapped like a vice around her as he listened for the noise she had heard. "What is it love, where is it coming from?" he whispered. Her heart was thumping frantically against her ribcage, he could feel it as though it were his own. She was frightened of something.

Just then a window broke in the other room as something crashed through it. Tonks could hear four paws landing on the ground and they had very little time to act. Grabbing her wand, she used everything she had to guard the door and keep the creature out. The creature clawed at the door but was unable to get in, she had lined it with silver along with the charms placed upon it. Finally, they heard the monster retreating, "Merlin, Remus, what was that?"

Remus had his wand clenched tightly in his outstretched hand and he was panting slightly. If it was what he thought it was... but it couldn't be, no one knew where they were, or did they? He turned to Tonks, trying to hide his fear. "I think it was the man we fear the most, though how he got into Grimmauld Place is beyond me. I've placed wards around this house myself," he seemed genuinely confused, his fear fleeing as heard the beast leaving the house. "We have to go and secure the house before we sleep... if we sleep," he corrected. "I want you to stay here while I secure the place."

"Remus, be careful," She said, fearful of what could happen if that was Fenrir out there, "Please...you promised not to leave me. That means you can't leave me in death either," She said, shivering violently. She moved so that he could get up, "Please...come back to me safely. I can't live without you."

He squeezed her hand, "Listen," he whispered and the two of them fell silent as they listened for any disturbances in the house, "there isn't anyone here but us, I should be back in a while. The windows have to be charmed with unbreakable spells, and I have to place charms on the doors," he explained and caressed her face gently, "climb into bed and keep your senses focused on me, you'll be fine." He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips.

Tonks climbed back into bed and curled up in a ball, keeping her thoughts on Remus. She tried to relax but knew that she wouldn't be able to until she knew that he was back safe with her. The house, thankfully, remained silent except for his footsteps and the only aroma she detected other than her own was his.

He walked about the house, carefully checking every room to make sure it was empty and then placing an unbreakable charm upon each window. He had to make the place secure enough for them to stay in, he had to protect his lupa... his lupa, how he had loved to call her his. Never in his life had he been as fiercely protective of anyone as he was of Tonks. She was his other half, his mate, and he loved her more than he could say in words. He spent nearly an hour searching the rooms and securing the house so that they would be able to relax enough to sleep that night. Tonks had just recovered, he didn't need for her to relapse.

He reached the front door and place an unbreakable charm on it, and a charmed lock. No one would be entering or exiting the house without his knowledge. Slowly he walked back up the stairs, his ears keening for the sound of anything unnatural, but all he heard was his own beating heart. Finally he reached the door of his and Tonk's bedroom and he pulled open the door to see that she wasn't sleeping.

Tonks rolled on her back as she heard Remus return. She smiled at him, glad to know that he was safe, and reached out her hand to him, wanting him to come and join her on the bed. She needed to feel his closeness and his warmth next to her. She had never been much of an affectionate person, although she had her moments, but she found lately that she could not get enough of being with him. "Was that who I think it was? He smelled...evil...angry..." She said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at her mate.

Remus sighed as he walked over to the bed and sat on the side of it. "It was Fenrir, I would know his scent anywhere. I don't know if he was actually trying to get at us, or if he was trying to scare us. The good news is that he won't be able to get in this house again. I secured it myself, every window and door in the house is now unbreakable. I think we are safe for tonight," he said wearily. He felt so tired, and he ached to hold Tonks in his arms, knowing she was aching for the closeness herself. Silently he removed his robes and crawled into the bed next to her.

Tonks snuggled up next to Remus, laying her head upon his strong chest. Her fingers traced the scars left from his fights of the past, with both himself and with Padfoot. His scent invaded her nostrils, and she felt warm and safe being in his arms. "I've been longing for this for so long, Remus," She whispered, reaching up to kiss him gently on the lips then moving down and biting him gently on the side of his neck.

Remus pressed a hungry and insistent kiss to her lips. "Tonight is ours Dora," he whispered against her lips and with those words, he let his beast consume him.

Tonks stretched, yawned and sleepily opened her eyes. She found that she was not alone in bed, nor was she in a bed that she was accustomed to. Then the events of the previous evening came back to her. She and Remus had made love...a wild passionate love; the likes of which she had never known. She was content to just lay there in his arms, resting and being near him. She found that she was very tired but also very happy. She had never felt this way before. She felt complete.

Leaning over, she gave Remus a kiss to wake him up.

He stirred awake as he felt soft lips pressed to his. He didn't even have to open his eyes, he just wrapped his arms around her and rolled her underneath him. "Morning love," he said in a husky, sleep filled voice. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of her skin against his, it was as comforting as it was intoxicating. He suddenly wondered if he had been too rough on her last night, he hadn't been in control of himself, and therefore he hadn't been a gentle lover. Not that a werewolf could be one. "Dora, I didn't hurt you last night did I?"

Smiling at him, she shook her head, "Not at all, I rather enjoyed it. In fact, I was just laying here thinking about how much I enjoyed it and how happy I was, albeit tired. It was exciting and exhilarating, and unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I can't explain it, but I feel complete now. "

Remus brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her lightly, needing to touch her, but not wanting to lose control again. "I feel complete as well, I think that is part of becoming lifelong mates. You find the person that completes you in every sense of the word, they are part of you. That is the reason that you could never be someone else's Lupa, because you are mine," he said, trying to explain her feelings as well as his. "We can't complete the mating ceremony until after your first transformation, but every time we... erm... make love," he blushed brightly as he remembered the night before, "we are bound closer and closer together."

She ran her fingers over his cheekbones and up to his hairline, also wanting to touch him. The warmth of his breath on her face was like a summer breeze, warm and refreshing all at the same time. The horror of the night before had vanished with their lovemaking, and she felt renewed and rejuvenated. Nothing felt so right as being in his arms, listening to him breath, to the sound of his heart beating. She never realized how much she didn't hear until she was hearing it now. She moaned softly with pleasure, almost like a purr, because of being next to him. He wasn't even touching her in a way that should arouse her sexual feelings, but she found that just being with him was a pleasure she had never before experienced. "The wolfsbane potion, when we take it we still transform but we are not dangerous, correct?"

He turned a kiss to the tips of her fingers which had moved to his cheek. "We still transform, but we can't harm anyone, right. I don't spend a lot of transformations with other werewolves, but a pack will usually transform together. Because you are my lupa, we will make our transformations together. Does that make sense love?" he asked her, trailing his fingers down to caress her side lightly. He just couldn't keep his hands to himself now, before he had had to keep a tight reign on his wants and desires, but now he could feel everything he wanted to. He didn't have to hold back with strength or with his passion, he could finally have everything he wanted. If only it hadn't come at such a terrible price.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. I can't imagine you having to go through this all by yourself for so many years." She said, sorrowfully. "I mean, I know that James and the other marauders became animagi so that you wouldn't stay here alone, but all those years, Remus. It must have been so lonely for you." She said, covering his face with kisses while running her hand over his chest, "I am guessing that there aren't a lot of us around, are there? I mean we know that there's us, and Fenrir. But are there any others?"

Remus thought about her question while intertwining his fingers with hers, touching her had become so natural that he didn't even think about it anymore. "There aren't many, I spent a few months with them last year, a group of about ten wolves. They all follow Fenrir, very loyal to him. They all like the hunt and the chase, they like the blood and pain. You and I aren't like that, we were just unfortunate victims," he smiled at her. "Did you know, you are only the second female werewolf in England? The other female isn't as nice, I just hope you never come up against her." He hugged her tightly, pressing their bodies together.

Tonks shook her head sadly as their legs entwined, feet touching, "I don't see how they can want that over the passion and the thrill of just having a mate who is suited to you. I guess that is what separates us. But quite honestly, now that I know what it is like to be your Lupa, I don't remember what it was like before. I feel like I was never alive until ten days ago when I was born again to this lifestyle, this body, this love," She said, resting her head in the crook of his arm with a sigh of contentment.


	5. An Old Enemy Returns

The days passed and soon it was the day before the Hogwarts graduation ceremony. Tonks awoke with a start, realizing that they hadn't bought the four any gifts. Rubbing her legs up against Remus', she kissed him on the back of his neck; a half kiss, half bite, to wake him up. 

Remus moaned softly, awoken by the erotic sensation of Tonks' touch. He rolled over and pulled her into his arms, starting to stroke her body gently in his half asleep state. "Is it too early to make love?" he asked not opening his eyes, but enjoying the feeling of her taut skin beneath his fingers. She was warm and he could feel her pressing into his touch. "Please say that is why you woke me up," he mumbled softly, burying his face in the side of her neck.

Tonks moaned softly as well, wishing that she could stay all day in bed with him, sleeping with him, being near him, having him all to herself, but she knew that wasn't possible. "Later, love," She said, entwining her legs with his, "Tomorrow's graduation...we haven't bought gifts yet." She said, her voice breathy and filled with desire that would need to wait for now.

His eyes opened slowly to take in her expression, she was serious. "We actually forgot to buy the gifts?" When she nodded he dropped his head and groaned. They hadn't done much in the past few days other than learn each other's bodies, and just keep touching. "Well, we can't exactly go out like this can we? Perhaps we should take a shower and then head to Diagon Alley," he suggested, hinting at a possible detour in the shower.

"Hmm, I think that sounds like a good idea," She said, her eyes flashing with the thought of more time to spend with her Lupin. She laughed at herself, "You know, if I weren't a werewolf I would be embarrassed at myself for the feelings I am having right now." She said, blushing furiously. "Not that I am complaining, mind you," She said, rolling over on her side and kissing his face as if she were kissing him for the first time.

Remus rubbed his two day beard against her shoulder, causing her to squeal and then he picked her up in his arms and carried her off to the bathroom. "I'm not complaining either," he said with a wide grin. "I've always wanted to see you openly sharing your feelings with me." He turned on the shower and pulled her inside with him.

Tonks emerged from the shower twenty minutes later, followed by Remus. Wrapping the towel around herself, she dried her hair and dressed quickly, not because she was ashamed but because she knew that they needed to go shopping and they needed no further distractions.

When they were both dried and dressed, she turned to Remus and smiled, "I think we should go get something to eat first, before we do any shopping. I seem to have built up quite an appetite."

He took her hand in his and led the way out of the room and down the stairs, "I know this great place in Diagon Alley to have lunch, we could eat there and then do our shopping," he suggested with a grin. "The Leaky Cauldron has the best lunch specials I've ever had."

"That sounds perfect," She said with a grin. "We should stop at Gringotts first though. I was well paid as an Auror and actually I got an owl from Minister Weasley that he gave me some 'time off' with pay until we are ready to start our new jobs. He said I had earned it. He said that he was sending you a similar letter, did you get one?" She asked as he encircled her waist with his arm while they walked outside.

He looked at her in confusion, "Love, I never had a job with the Ministry, so how could I get time off with pay?" He asked incredulously. He couldn't understand what kind of letter he would be receiving from Arthur, but he didn't think it was going to be what Dora thought it was. "It doesn't matter, can you apparate? Or are we walking to the Leaky Cauldron?" He asked as they stepped outside of number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"No, I meant that he said in my letter that he was sending you a similar letter that since we accepted those jobs but he didn't want you to have to start until he knew I was ready that he was going to deposit some money in your Gringotts account so that we didn't have to worry about money. Thoughtful man, isn't he? Of course, his family knows what its like to be low on funds, so that is probably why he did it." She thought about Remus' question and nodded, "Let's apparate."

Remus concentrated hard on the bank inside Diagon Alley, and with a small pop he was standing in the lobby. Tonks arrived seconds later and, hand-in-hand, they walked up to one of the Goblin desks. "We would like to access our vaults please," he asked politely and the Goblin led them wordlessly down to the chasms below.

They arrived back in Diagon Alley half an hour later, their money bags full and their hopes high as they contemplated a day of shopping for the kids. "What do you think we should get for Ginny?" Remus asked as they sat down at a small table in the Leaky Cauldron. "I mean, graduating a year early is an amazing accomplishment isn't it?"

"Hmm," Tonks thought as she looked over the menu, "I think a rare steak sounds just about perfect," She said, then laughed at the look Remus gave her, "Though not for a gift. Sorry, my mind is on food. Let's see, a gift for Ginny. I happen to know that she is considering training to be a healer, maybe something to do with that"

"Hmm... a rare steak does sound good," he teased her and then turned his mind back to a gift, "what if we get her a book on Common Ailments and the potions and charms to heal them?" He wasn't sure if that really worked for Ginny, she wasn't the bookish sort. Hermione who was also going in for Healing would be more interested in that than Ginny would. "What do you think love?"

"Actually, that's a perfect idea for Hermione. I know that they just came out with an updated version of that book so chances are she hasn't read it yet," She said as they placed their orders, "What about for Ginny, hmm...something more hands on. Maybe like a really good set of vials, you know professional ones. That takes care of the two girls. What about Ron and Harry? I know that Ron's plans turn towards Quidditch, maybe a really good broom."

"The minute after I suggested that for Ginny I realized it was more for Hermione. I think she will like the vials better anyways," Remus agreed and then he thought about Ron and Harry. "I'm not sure if we have enough for a Firebolt, but the Nimbus company has come out with a Nimbus 2002 model that he might like. I've heard it can just about give the old Firebolt a run for it's money, the Firebolt company will have to build a new broom fairly soon," Remus said slowly, trying to consider Harry's gift. "I don't even know what Harry wants to do."

Their food was delivered and they sat in silence for a few minutes while they ate hungrily. Tonks reached across the table and took Remus' hand, wanting to be physically in contact with him She felt rather self conscious eating in the Leaky Cauldron, when it came to meat she had a hard time eating it slowly. This was the first time they had eaten out since her transformation and she had to remember that she had to exercise some kind of control. She ate with great gusto, but managed to look somewhat like a human if not totally ladylike. When she had finished her steak, she considered Remus' statement, "I don't know either. He had mentioned traveling but other than that, I don't know."

Remus broke out into a wide grin and squeezed her hand, "I don't know if I'll be able to finish my steak, since you already finished yours and seem to be making eyes at mine... would you like to finish it?" he asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Tonks blushed and giggled self consciously, "I think we need to eat out more often so I relearn to eat in a civilized way. Are you sure you are full? I mean, you expended more energy than I did this morning," She said, lowering her voice so that the others didn't hear.

He raised his eyebrows in shock, and then began to laugh heartily. "I did? I could have sworn that you were the one who had me backed up against the shower wall..." he teased, not even attempting to lower his voice. He pushed his plate towards her and kissed her forehead softly. "You can finish my steak." "Keep talking to me like that, Remus, and I won't even want to go shopping," Tonks said, picking up the steak from his plate and placing it between two pieces of bread, eating it like a sandwich. When she was done, she licked the juices off her lips seductively, knowing how much it drove him crazy when she did that after eating a meal. '

"Are you suggesting that we go back to the house?" he asked, sliding his hand to her knee. "I wouldn't mind if we did," he teased, knowing that they needed to buy the gifts for the children.

Tonks gasped as his touch sent tremors up her spine, "As enticing as that sounds, Remus, it will have to wait. If we go home now we will go to the graduation with nothing for Harry and the others." She could hear her heart and his pounding in her ears, in sync with one another, "Two hearts beating as one..." She whispered.

He was tempted to lean over and kiss her, but he held back, opting instead to take her hand again. "It does happen that way sometimes," he said softly, and then pulled her up out of her seat. "We have some shopping to do and I refuse to do it alone. Imagine how it would look if some middle aged man like myself was seen shopping for a broom, I'd be laughed out of the store," Remus teased as they moved out of the dark pub and into the sunlit street.

One thing that Tonks noticed overwhelmingly was the myriad of scents with so many people in Diagon Alley. The perfumes, the potions, the smells from the food stalls... It was a combination of things, but she also found that she could pick out each individual smell as if it was the only one that existed. Even the sunshine had a smell. It smelled like summer and warmth. She opened her eyes wide in surprise. "I never realized, Remus, how many different smells there were in the world." She whispered.

He grinned as they walked through the main street. He knew she would enjoy it, he always had when he was a child, but he had gotten used to it as an adult. He saw the Quality Quidditch Supplies shop and he worked his way through the crowds to get them inside. He had forgotten how spectacular it was in there. There were Quidditch robes, memorabilia of famous players and matches, brooms of all sizes and makes... it was heaven for someone like Harry and Ron. He moved over to the wall of brooms and looked up at all the makes there had ever been. His eyes fell on the old Silver Arrow that James and Sirius had treasured. He wished he could buy one for Ron, but they didn't sell those brooms anymore. "May I help you with anything?" asked a kindly witch from behind a counter.

"Yes, we'd like to see a Nimbus 2002, please," Tonks said, smiling at the witch behind the counter. "We have some friends who are graduating from Hogwarts tomorrow and one of them is going to pursue a career in Quidditch," She said, smiling at the lady. While the woman went to get the broom, she saw something that surprised her greatly, and she knew that she needed to inquire about it. She saw James Potter's old Hogwarts Quidditch robes in the case of memorabilia. "Ma'am, would you be able to sell that to us? One of the people graduating tomorrow is his son, and we had been wracking our brains for a gift idea for him."

"Harry Potter is graduating from Hogwarts tomorrow? Let me go speak with my manager," She said, disappearing in the back while leaving the Nimbus 2002 on the counter. When she returned she had a large box with her, "The owner says to take it for him."

Remus took the package in his hands and gazed down at it with a mixture of sadness and reverence in his face. Harry was going to be extremely touched by this gift, Remus knew that he would be if he were to receive it. "Tonks, you are a genius," he said softly, his eyes still on the box in his hands. He knew that no matter what else they found for any of the other children, this gift would be the very best.

Tonks blushed, "Thank you, but it was really thanks to the kind owner for letting us have it." She said, looking at the woman, "Please thank him for us and tell him he doesn't know how much this will mean to Harry."

"No thanks are necessary," Said an older gentleman coming from the back of the store. "It's the least I can do for the young man who vanquished Voldemort."

Tonks smiled and paid the witch for the broom, "Thank you once again." She said, tears in her eyes as they left the store with her carrying the broom and Remus carrying the box containing Harry's gift.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. "That was a wonderful thing the manager did for Harry, he is going to be so pleased with his gift," Remus said, still in awe of the robes in the box. "Where are we going next, the Apothecary?"

"That sounds good. The Apothecary, and then Flourish and Blotts. By then we should be ready for a snack, maybe go to Florean's?" She said, wanting to have some ice cream. Ice cream did not give the same satisfaction that meat did, but she discovered that she had retained her sweet tooth" Remus squeezed her hand gently,

"Ice cream sounds delicious, but let's save the deserts for after shopping," he said, his meaning very clear. He wanted more than just ice cream, he wanted something else that was just as sweet, and even more delicious than a peanut butter and jelly ice cream at Florean's parlor. He nipped her ear to get his point across.

"Hmm, now that is an offer I can't refuse," She said, giving his ear a quick lick herself, "That sounds like a perfect plan," She said, as she steered him into the Apothecary. "Oh, I know of something else we need to get," She said, picking up the ingredients to make the wolfsbane potion along with the vials for Ginny's gift. "Thank goodness I was good in Potions in Hogwarts."

He laughed as she purchased everything they needed for a safe home transformation. "I'm glad you were good, I was never able to brew a successful potion in my life, it was my one downfall in school," he said honestly. He picked up a bottle of belladonna and stared at it with interest, "I had no idea that belladonna was used in this potion, one would think it would counteract with the powdered root of Asphodel," he said turning the bottle over in his hands.

"Okay, one last stop and then we can go have some ice cream, and then home for 'dessert'," She said, giving him a sly wink and wrapping her arm around him. "It's amazing what happens when you combine different ingredients together to make something new, isn't it?" She said, wrinkling her nose, "Think we ought to tell him that the beetles' eyes are going bad?" She said, laughing, "They positively stink."

Remus turned to look at the counter and saw the clerk glaring at them with beady eyes. "Actually, I think he heard you," he teased and they left the store trying not to laugh. As soon as they reached the ice cream parlor Remus remembered that there was something he needed to buy while they were here in Diagon Alley. "Dora, I hate to part from you love, but I have a few purchases that I need to make on my own after we finish our ice cream. Could you make do without me for an hour?" "Of course I can, love," She said, smiling at him, "I'll just wait here for you and think about spending time with you when we get home. How does that sound?"

He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly, "It sounds just fine Dora, now... what type of ice cream would you like? I myself prefer the double chocolate fudge." He looked through the menu for all the new flavors, it seemed as though the list had grown since the last time he had been here a few years ago. "Actually, I think the hot fudge sundae would be even better. I haven't had one in years."

"I think the double chocolate fudge sounds wonderful. I'm going to have nuts, caramel, whipped cream and marshmallow on top of it." She said, running the tip of her tongue around her lips in anticipation. "I'm also going to get a glass of water, I'm rather thirsty."

Remus grinned at her and tried to contain his laughter. "Are you already that hungry? You had a rather big lunch, your steak and half of mine," he teased and was rewarded when she stuck her tongue out at him. "I suppose I'll overlook your eating, after all, it is hard for a new werewolf to control their new desires. After their sexual drives," he grinned mischievously at her, "their hunger usually takes over as the next largest desire. Hopefully you will pass this stage after your first full moon. You will still crave food as well as your other desires, but it will be easier to control," he explained.

"If you think this is bad, just wait until the day I get pregnant," She said, laughing as the waitress came and took their order. "Do you want to have children, Remus? I'd love to have one or two," She said, smiling, "Our own little witch or wizard to send to Hogwarts, what do you think?"

He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. If there was one thing he wanted most in the world it was to have children with Tonks. "I don't think anything could make me happier," he pressed a kiss to her lip and nuzzled her hand against his cheek. "I wonder if they would inherit your clumsiness," he asked with sparkling eyes.

"Is that the only quality you think of in me? My clumsiness?" She said, teasing him gently as she caressed his other hand with her thumb, "Surely there's something else that you wonder if they would inherit from me?"

"I actually find your ability to trip over your own feet quite endearing," he said, not able to keep his grin off his face. "I will admit that I would love for the children to be metamorphmagi. If they have your sense of humor or wonderful sincerity, I would be blessed as a father as well as your husband." He shivered as he said the word. He wanted to marry her, to have a family with her... but that wasn't all, as werewolves they were pack, Lukoi... they were one with each other. In a way, when he had attacked her, he had made their bond stronger.

Tonks smiled softly at him, rubbing her foot against his leg underneath the table, "That would really be neat. I wonder if certain other traits will carry over," She said, meaning of course their philanthropy, "I would think it would be easier to be born into that lifestyle and have people who really love you and care about you guiding you every step of the way."

Remus tried to keep his face impassive as he felt her rubbing up against him underneath their table. He decided to focus on the question at hand. "There aren't many werewolf couples who decide to take the risk and have children. I suppose we have to talk to a werewolf specialist at St. Mungo's. I don't want to put your life or the lives of our children at risk, so I think it's better to ask before we try to have them," he said seriously. He couldn't imagine a life without her in it. Their ice cream arrived and they turned their attentions on it. Halfway through, Tonks took her spoon and playfully dabbed a bit of whipped cream on Remus' nose, giggling. "Okay, we'll do that." She said, thoughtfully. She wondered what it would be like having a werewolf child. It certainly would be interesting if it was born on the day of the full moon, "I suppose they probably induce labor just in case or take the baby to make sure that it doesn't happen at the wrong time of the month." She said, quietly. It was something to think about, certainly.

Remus put his spoon down and took her hand in his, "Dora, promise me that if the Healer says we can have a baby, you will follow all their orders as best as you can. I don't want any complications that might risk in the loss of your life. I couldn't live without you. I would rather have you and I, happy and alive, than be alone with a baby to raise. At my age I can't do this alone." It was finally out, he was voicing his worst fear. He just hoped she understood what he meant.

Tonks put her hand up to Remus cheek and pulled him in for a kiss, "I promise, Remus. If we are permitted to have a baby, then I will do everything that they say and we will raise our child together. I want our child to have two parents who love and care for him or her. But you have to promise me the same thing. Promise me that you will not take any unnecessary risks with your life as well." Tonks knew that not all the Death Eaters had been caught, that some were still out there; not to mention Fenrir.

He sighed and nodded his head. He knew that he couldn't ask her to do something he wasn't willing to do as well. She deserved the same consideration with his life that he was asking her to make with hers. "I won't go looking for anyone, but if they find me, I will protect you. I can't let anyone take you from me." His ice cream was now forgotten on the table as he looked deeply into the eyes of the woman he loved... his lupa, or his soon to be lupa. "I love you so much," he whispered brokenly and kissed her again, not caring that everyone in the parlor had begun to stare at their open affection and constant touches.

Feeling as if she was floating, Tonks closed her eyes halfway and enjoyed just being near him. "I love you too," She said, feeling their hearts beating in sync again. She smiled serenely, as if the world had melted away and it was just the two of them there. She always felt relaxed enough to just drift off to sleep right there. She had discovered that even the smallest of things made her sleepy, especially being with her lupin, because he was so comforting and warm. She felt her eyes closing and in her sleep she half heard him getting up from the table.

"Is there anywhere you would like me to meet you after I'm done with my shopping? I should only be gone for an hour or so," he told her as he pushed his chair underneath the table. Lifting her head from the table, "How about Flourish and Blotts? Maybe they have some books on that subject we were interested in." She said, smiling at him, "I'll finish up here and I'll meet you there say," She said, looking at her watch, "It's 1pm now. How about 2:15?"

Remus pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then her lips. "It sounds just fine love, I'll see you there soon," and with that said he left her sitting at the table, probably wondering where he was heading off to.

He grinned to himself as he thought about the day that was quickly approaching. Tonks' birthday was coming up next week and he wanted to have a perfect gift for her. She didn't set much store by pretty things like flowers or jewelry, but he knew she liked sweets. He also knew that she wouldn't say no to a bottle of firewhiskey, but what was the thing that she would be more pleased than anything to have? He wasn't sure yet, but he was going to shop around until he found just the right gift.

Tonks finished her sundae and paid Florean, leaving a tip for their waitress. She wondered where Remus had gone to, but she had learned not to be too curious or to ask too many questions. He liked to surprise her from time to time and she loved surprises.

Going out in the the sunshine filled street she walked along happily, happier than she could ever remember being. She and Remus were in love, and due to recent events they had no limits on their love. Life was sweet, sweeter than she had ever known. She had walked along the street for a while when she looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly time to head to Flourish and Blotts. But something spoiled her happy mood. She caught a scent in the air which she recognized from that first night that they were together.

Spinning on her heels, she saw Fenrir coming out of Knockturn Alley. He was leaning against the wall, grinning at her. Remus paid for the three items he had bought and walked out of the store, feeling assured that he had found just the right gift for her birthday and the two other special days coming up in the future. He glanced at his watch as he headed down the street to Flourish & Blotts, grateful that he had found that antique store just in time. He looked up to see something that chilled his bones, Fenrir was walking purposefully toward Tonks.

"So, Tonks," Fenrir said with a sneer, "I heard old Loopy Lupin made you one of us. Why not join with a real wolf? Why not join my pack? I'd love to have a lupa who can change her appearance at will. It's like having fifty lupas in one."

Tonks shook her head, fumbling for her wand, unable to trust her voice. All of her good feelings had tucked their tails between their legs and ran in retreat. She looked around for Remus, and thankfully saw him coming towards them. He motioned that she should be quiet, but she couldn't help but shaking in fear.

Remus walked up behind Fenrir, his wand clutched tightly in his hand. "Leave her alone Greyback, you can't have her," he said in a deadly calm voice. "If you make even one more move toward her, I will kill you before you can take another step."

Fenrir pulled back his lips in a sneer and growled menacingly at Lupin, turning away from Tonks. "You haven't claimed her as your Lupa yet, I can smell you on her, but it is still two scents. She is still claimable," he said and grabbed Tonks' arm and pulled her to him.

Tonks struggled to get out of Fenrir's grasp, but he was really strong. Thinking quickly, she did a move that she had been taught as a part of Auror training. Not too many outside the realm of the Aurors knew, but they were also trained in self defense against physical attacks as well as magical attacks. Using the quick maneuver, she was able to wrestle out of his grasp and disapparated, hoping and praying that Remus would soon follow. She landed at 12 Grimmauld place and collapsed on the floor, panting and her heart still racing with fear.

Remus put his wand in Fenrir's face and let out a fierce growl. "If you ever come near Tonks again, I will kill you, that isn't a threat... it's a promise." He cast a Stupefy charm on him and disapparated into 12 Grimmauld place.

"Tonks?" he called out. He had apparated into their room, and right now he was worried about her safety, if she hadn't come to the house, he didn't know where she was. That thought caused him to panic and he called out her name again. "Tonks, are you here?"

Tonks heard him calling her name; she had landed on the first floor when she disapparated. Pulling herself to her feet, she made her way upstairs slowly, "I'm here, Remus," She said, sitting on the top step, "He didn't hurt you, did he?" She knew that she couldn't live without him, just like he had said he couldn't live without her.

Remus pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to his chest. "He touched you, that bastard touched you," he choked out as he rocked her back and forth. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I should have never let you out of my sight." He felt as if he had let her down in some way, he hadn't been able to stop Fenrir from coming after her, and she wasn't strong enough yet to fight him.

Tonks reached up and gently glazed her fingertips over his face with her right hand, "Remus, you didn't know that he would be there. Neither of us did. Please don't blame yourself." She said, laying her head upon his chest as he held her close. "We lived our lives in fear with Voldemort, we can face this new enemy together." She thought of the upcoming full moon night, only a week away, "Much as I would like to have my first transformation to be in the woods, I think we should stay inside. Maybe there's a way that we can find a secluded spot for the future."

He nodded and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. They would be safer if they transformed in the house anyway, the house was still secure, Fenrir couldn't find them there. "Your first transformation doesn't have to be in the woods, many werewolves transform in their own basements. They feel a sense of comfort in their own homes. As you said though, many also chose to transform in the woods, that way they have prey if something goes wrong," he leaned down and kisses her hard, "nothing will go wrong."

Tonks sighed, "Leave it to old Greyback to ruin a perfectly nice day. I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoyed our outing, though. Things, for the most part, were perfect. I think that we should get our purchases put away and then perhaps do something to help us both relax and get our minds off of what happened." She said, not wanting to mention how dirty Greyback had made her feel, "I think that I would like to take a bath," She implied what she was feeling without really saying it. She needed to wash the scent and the feel of Greyback off of her body.

He squeezed her tight, understanding completely how she felt. There was a time when he was a young man, that something similar had happened to him. A hot bath would help her a lot. "Would you like me to stay in the room with you? Or would you rather be alone? I can understand if you need me to leave," he said softly, trying to soothe her.

"No, please stay with me. I...I want to have you near me." She said, knowing that the house was secure but not wanting to be alone at that time, "I feel so dirty, Remus. I feel like he violated me just by touching me and by saying what he did to me. "

"Love, I'm so sorry," he said brokenly, "let's get you washed up, and then perhaps we can wash away the memory of what happened today. Come on baby." He scopped her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom, sitting her on the tub while he ran the bath and set out a towel for her. He just wanted to keep himself busy so he wouldn't keep seeing the way Fenrir had looked when he had touched Tonks.

Tonks removed her robes and undergarments and stepped into the tub, sinking deeply into the warm and aromatic bubbles. She took the loofah sponge which hung from the faucet tap and used it to scrub at her body harshly, wanting to remove every trace of the rogue werewolf from her. His scent, his touch, his evil. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore and she broke down in sobs.

Remus fell to his knees in front of the tub and pulled her against him, soaking his clothes but not caring. "Shh, don't cry love, I won't let him touch you again. I will protect you, I swear I will," he whispered soothingly. He knew that she must be so frightened of what had happened, she still didn't understand the way Fenrir's mind worked. He had wanted her so that he could have all of her abilities at his command. Remus knew how valuable Tonks now was among the werewolf community, but he didn't know how to keep her safe forever, it was impossible.

She felt comforted by his presence, his scent, and his touch, and she allowed him to hold her and to make her feel safe. She acutely became aware of him lifting her from the tub and wrapping her in the towel he had put aside. She could feel her skin burning, knowing that she had scrubbed way too hard and that it was short of being raw but she also knew that she couldn't help herself at the time.

He carried her into the bedroom where he slowly began to dry her off. Every time she attempted to help him he pushed her hands away, he needed her to relax while he helped her. After he was done drying her body he began to towel her hair dry. He preferred to touch her rather than to use a drying spell. It was more intimate this way, and right now she needed the affection and touch he was providing. Remus dropped the towel to the floor after she was sufficiently dry and he motioned for her to lay down on the bed. In a few moments he was lying beside her, crushing her to him. "I love you Nymphadora, no matter what happens, I always will."

Tonks turned her head back to Remus and kissed him affectionately. She was thankful that he loved and cared for her, and that he was there for her no matter what. His arms around her made her feel secure, his scent alluring and intoxicating all at once. She knew that they would have struggles and trials, and that the thing with Fenrir was far from over. But she also knew that whatever came along they would weather it together.


	6. Graduation Day!

The day of graduation dawned bright and clear. The sun was reflecting off of the crystal surface of the lake, and everything seemed so happy and peaceful. The large stage was now empty as the crowd waited for the graduating class to file in. Remus squeezed Tonks' hand as they watched as a parade of black robed students walk from the castle, his heart was bursting with pride to see the children graduating. The only color in their otherwise uniform robes, were the ropes they wore. Hufflepuff had yellow and black, Ravenclaw had blue and white, silver and green for the very few Slytherins, and scarlet and gold for the Gryffindors. They looked so nervous, and yet incredibly happy and proud. 

Albus Dumbledore waited for the students to take their seats on stage before walking up to address the graduating class and the crowd who had come to witness the first steps in their life as adults. "Another year has come and passed, a war took hold and then fell away. These students graduating today are not just any other class of students, they are the most courageous, the most valiant. They are the survivors and the warriors of the war. I have never been more proud of a group of students in my life," the Headmaster said in his soft and patient voice. "They are no longer children, but our hope for tomorrow and a better world. These young adults have faced more suffering than any class has ever done, and they have come out of it with losses," many of the students were beginning to cry softly, remembering the pain of the war, but Dumbledore continued, "They have suffered losses, but have gained love and hope for the rest of us. They will build our great world up again, and they will be heroes we will always remember."

Tonks squeezed Remus' hands as tears flowed freely down her face. She thought over the years that had gone by, the fears, the triumphs, the uncertainties. And now those four children especially were no longer children but adults ready to face the world. In all honesty, they had forced to become adults long before they should have been. She was proud of them all, but especially of Ginny, who was graduating with Harry, Hermione and her brother. She looked over to the side and saw the Weasleys taking up two full rows. She smiled as she realized that Percy was there as well, he had given his family the best gift of all by coming home and sharing in their happiness. She saw Bill sitting with Fleur and made a mental note that the two couples should get together and see how Bill was faring with his new lifestyle. Unlike herself and Remus, he didn't have to take the wolfsbane potion but he still had some adjustments to make.

She smiled as Dumbledore started calling out the names of the graduates and beamed especially brightly as Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron went up to receive their diplomas. Turning to Remus she whispered, "I don't think we can call them children anymore. They certainly have grown up."

Remus nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "They aren't children anymore, they haven't been for a long time," he agreed. The rest of the ceremony went by with students accepting their diploma's and smiling at their families. It was a time for the students to shine, to be thanked for their hard work and especially for their efforts in the war. After everyone had received their diploma Dumbledore stood up again, smiling brightly at everyone.

"I believe it is time to let our Head Boy and Head Girl make their speeches, though neither of them were in school this past year, the staff decided that there would never be two better candidates for the Head Boy or Head Girl as we have chosen," he turned to smile at Hermione. "If you all will welcome Miss Granger to the podium."

Hermione stood and smiled at Dumbledore, then took her place behind the podium, "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," She said, smiling at him then turning to the audience. "I have learned a lot during my years at Hogwarts. I have learned that it's not a good idea to use a cat hair in a polyjuice potion. I've learned that studying and books are not the most important things in life, although they do have their merits," She said, turning to grin at Harry and Ron. "But more than anything, this year has taught me about the value of friendship, and of love. We are taught about magic at Hogwarts, but there is a magic which resides within each and every one of us; whether we are muggle or wizard. The strongest magic in the world is love. We not only take with us the knowledge to do what we need to do in the wizarding world, but we carry with us friendships that will last a lifetime."

Harry grinned at everyone nervously as Hermione sat down to scattered applause, and he stood up to stand at the podium. "I'm not very good with speeches, although everyone has always thought of me as a leader. I never asked to be one, it just happened that way," he looked toward Remus and Tonks and grinned at them, trying to regain some courage. "As everyone knows I am Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One... and I have to admit that I have never liked any of those names, not even Harry Potter. To be Harry Potter is to be forever watched, looked up to, to have high expectations put on you. I discovered what Hermione did, that love is the greatest power in the world, the most potent of all magic. It was love that ended the war, love that saved our lives and love that got me through all my years of school. I know that I should be giving advice to my class, but don't quite know what to say. I can tell them one thing, and hope they listen to me. 'You have to dance like no one is watching, live like you will die tomorrow and love like it will never hurt.' If love is the most precious gift we have, we can't waste it. Our lives are all too special to spend each day doing something we hate. We have to reach out for what we want and what we feel we have to have. We only have one life to live, spend each day with the ones you love and remember what lost in the war. Families, friends, people we love died, but don't let them have died in vain. Keep them in your thoughts, but keep moving on. Our world will only get stronger if we remember the past, live in the present and hope for the the future." Tonks listened to both of their speeches and was immensely proud of the both of them. She smiled at Harry in return for the smile that he had sent at the two of them, and felt her heart nearly bursting with joy. She couldn't help the tears that flowed down her face, but she didn't have the heart to wipe them away either. Dumbledore stood up once more and shook Harry's hand, then returned to the podium,

"I would like for everyone to please rise and join with the graduates in singing the school song." After everyone had finished singing, Dumbledore looked out on the crowd and said, "I now am happy to introduce to you the class of 1998!"

Remus and Tonks walked around the Burrow as they waited for their turn to congratulate the graduates. All four of them were huddled in a little group, being clapped on the back and having their hands shaken by everyone in the room. "They look so nervous," he said laughing. Harry and Ginny looked almost uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting, Hermione was in her element, being congratulated for her accomplishments, while Ron was basking in the glory of being the center of attention. "Well, Harry and Ginny look nervous," he amended.

Tonks chuckled, "Yes, I don't think anything could make Ron nervous. Except perhaps Potions class, which he no longer has to worry about. Oh," She said, as they were waiting and she caught a glimpse of Bill, "I was thinking that perhaps we should talk to him and find out how he is doing. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea, I haven't had much of a chance to talk to him since he was attacked," Remus admitted and they strolled over to the couple. Bill looked happy and content with Fleur holding his hand and gazing at him lovingly. They were such a sweet couple to watch, they still seemed to be in their honeymoon stage. "Hello old friend," Remus said and he clapped Bill on the shoulder.

"Why, hello Remus, it's been ages since we were able to talk," Bill said heartily and the men shook hands.

"We were just wondering how you have been holding up since the... attack," Remus said delicately. Bill and Fleur shared a significant look and they squeezed hands.

Bill smiled at Remus and Tonks, "It has taken a bit of adjusting but we have been very fortunate. I just tend to get a little exuberant during the time of the full moon. In our house we call it my PMS," He said, chuckling heartily. "My dad tells me that you two will be working in the Ministry in the new werewolf liaison office. I think that is wonderful. How are you holding up, Tonks?"

Looking at Remus, she decided that she wasn't going to talk about her experience with Fenrir the previous day, "Well, as you said it's taking some getting used to. But Remus is a wonderful teacher and he has been there for me every step of the way. The four of us should really get together one of these days and talk."

Fleur gave Tonks a bright smile and swished her long silver hair behind her. "But of course we should get togezer," she said sweetly, "It makes perfect sense."

Remus squeezed Tonks hand. "It's settled then, we should get together after the full moon. This next week will be a bit busy for us, we have to make the preparations for her first transformation," he said with a smile. "We'll send you an owl," Tonks said, smiling at Bill and Fleur. "We should go see Harry and the others so we can give them their gifts. " Giving Fleur a hug, and then Bill she smiled at the two of them. "I'm looking forward to it immensely."

"So am I, Tonks," Bill said. "Good luck this week."

After a last round of handshakes and hugs, Tonks and Remus made their way over to the four friends who, thankfully, were free of the mob which had encircled them earlier. "Congratulations!" Tonks said, giving each of the teens a hug. We are both so proud of the four of you"  
"We come bearing gifts," Remus teased as he pulled out the four boxes they had wrapped for them. He handed them out to each of the graduates. "I feel like Father Christmas," he whispered to Tonks as the four of them ripped into their gifts.

"Wow Moony, a Nimbus 2002!" Ron said excitedly as he pulled the broom out of it's wrapping. He stared at it in awe and tried to show his friends but they were too enthralled with their own gifts.

Hermione thanked Remus and Tonks softly for her book as she opened the pages and began to look through it with obvious enjoyment. Ginny on the other hand opened her vials and shrieked excitedly, throwing her arms around first Tonks, and then Remus's neck. "Thank you so much! These are going to be so important when I start brewing my own healing potions," she babbled.

Harry had waited for his friends to open their gifts before revealing the contents of his. When he at last open his box, his mouth dropped open and they could see tears glistening in his eyes, "Lupin, Tonks...where did you...how did you"  
"What is it, Harry?" Hermione said, looking at the expression on her friend's face.

Harry slowly, almost reverently pulled out his father's old Quidditch robes from the box, a tear rolling down his cheek, "Thank you so much, Lupin and Tonks. I don't know how I can ever repay you"

"Harry, we saw them in the store and we knew that above all else that was the perfect gift for you." She said, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

Remus hugged Harry tightly, he understood how much the gift meant to him. It was very rarely that he received anything of his parents, they weren't able to leave him a lot. "There is another gift that we have for you, but it will have to wait until after the full moon. We can't risk a bad transformation around you four," he said with a soft smile.

"Another gift?" Ginny asked curiously. They noticed that she was always the first one to ask a question.

"We are going to take you four to see Potter Manor, the place where your dad grew up Harry. That's where most of their things were left, the old house elf staff has been maintaining the house since your parents death," Remus said grinning.

Harry looked at Remus in surprise, "Remus, you have given me the best gifts that I could ever receive today. Thank you." It meant so much for Harry to have him in his life, since he was the last of his father's friends who was still living.

The six of them sat around, regaling tales of Hogwarts and of everything that had happened over the years. They shared laughter, tears and some fond memories and they were all sorry to see the day come to an end. Late that evening, Tonks and Remus apparated back to 12 Grimmauld Place, each knowing that this was a day that they would remember for a long time.  
Tonks smiled at Remus and gave him a kiss,"That was a wonderful idea, Remus. The trip to Potter manor, I mean. Did you see the look on Harry's face?"

He returned her kiss with fervor, "I have always planned on taking him back there, it was placed in my care until Harry was old enough to take care of it himself. I've just never had the heart to go there without him with me. It didn't seem right without a Potter in the house," he admitted. He was planting soft kisses down her neck, unable to make himself stop. "I think that we found all of them just the right gift. They all seemed to be really pleased."

Tonks sighed softly as his kisses sent shock waves of pleasure through her. "We make a really good team, a lukoi, wasn't it?" She said, voice breathy and full of passion, "I don't wonder if perhaps there will be two more weddings in the planning sometime in the near future," She said, running her hands over his strong, muscular back, and leaning into him as she fondly nipped his ear.

"I won't disagree with you, all four of them seem to know what they want, and they are no longer children," he admitted, trying to control his need for her. "Tonks, I never did ask you formally." He hoped she understood what he meant by that. He had been carrying the ring in his pocket since he had bought it in Diagon Alley yesterday. They had talked about getting married, but he had never posed the actual question. He wanted it to be right, to be formal.

Tonks felt her heart racing in happiness, she had dreamed for this day for so long. She smiled at him, licking her lips in anticipation of his question and of their time afterwards. She understood completely and knew that somehow he knew that she did, "This is something that i have waited for for years, Remus."

He bent down on one knee, wincing with the strain on his old muscles. He pulled the ring out of his pocket and took her hand. "I am not a young man, nor a rich man. I can't offer you anything in the world but my love, me, and the promise of a bond stronger than most people can imagine. I have loved you from the moment I first saw you at your first Order meeting. You were full of smiles and you tripped right into my arms. When I looked into your eyes I knew that I wanted no one but you for the rest of my life. For the next two years I tried to tell myself that I was too old, too poor and too dangerous for you, but it never worked. Finally on the night Bill was attacked I couldn't do it any longer, my resolve crumbled and I'm glad it did. I love you Nymphadora Tonks, and I would be honored if you would be my wife." Tonks smiled at him, running his fingers through her hair and massaging his scalp as she listened to his speech. It was so touching, and she laughed at the memory of falling into his arms. When he had finished speaking, she gently put her fingers under his chin to have him look at her, "Remus, I know how you feel. I have loved you from the moment I saw you as well. I knew of your condition and I knew that in a perfect world we would be able to be together. Now our world together is perfect and we can be as one, without the fears and the worries of the past. Remus Lupin, I would be honored to have you as my husband and my Ulfric"  
He took the ring from the box and slowly slid it onto her finger. "Once we are mated we can never separate, our marriage and our mating is close to the same thing, but it is very different at the same time. We don't have to participate in both ceremonies, most couples just preform the mating ceremony. The problem is with us, our friends can't come to the mating ceremony, they wouldn't understand it. It is your choice," he said softly, kissing her throat as he spoke.

She looked down at the beautiful ring. It contained four stones. His birthstone and hers, but sh couldn't figure out what the other two were. Then it dawned on her. One was an emerald and the other one was a golden topaz, "Remus, it's beautiful," She said, tears clouding her eyes because she realized that the other two stones represented their birth into the wolf hood, "This is incredible..."

"I had it made specially for you in Diagon Alley. There is a jeweler there that I went to school with, and he took my idea and created something amazing," he looked down at the incredible ring. It was gold of course, anything silver would have caused her intense pain and discomfort. It was one of the safety precautions of being a wolf, wearing gold jewelry. "I'm glad you like it, I was a bit unsure of whether you would or not."

"I love it, Remus, almost as much as I love you. It was brilliant of you to have them put our four stones in it," She said, "Our birthstones as humans, and the birthstones as wolves." She said, thinking about what had said about the mating ceremony and the proper wedding, "I am looking forward to the mating ceremony, but I do think we should have a wedding with our friends in attendance. The problem will be privacy. I mean, how do we do it without unwanted guests attending?" She asked, meaning Greyback of course. "Well, let's worry about that later. Why don't we go and spend some time together and let me show you how much I love you," She said, nipping him on the neck.

Remus wrapped his arms tightly around her and began to kiss her again. "I think I could live with that," he whispered huskily. "I think I'm going to miss you this way after your first transformation." "Well, Remus, I don't think this will particularly change much even after that since this desire has been in me for years," She said, smiling at him and then leading him to the bedroom.


	7. Night of the Full Moon

Tonks had woken up before the sun was even up. She knew without even looking at the calendar that tonight was the full moon. She could feel it in her bones, in her senses, in every fiber of her being. Tonight was the night of her first transformation. Tonight her life would change forever. 

She had paced around the house, picking things up and putting them back down again. She was like a caged animal, pent up with nervous energy with no outlet. Even Remus was restless in his sleep, but he was still sleeping at least. At least a dozen times she had attempted to go back to bed and failed. If she didn't fear Fenrir so much she probably would have gone for a run. But she could smell his scent. It wasn't that close, but he was around and she wasn't taking any chances. They hadn't been able to perform the mating dance yet and therefor she was still fair game.

Remus felt her moving about the house before he was fully awake. She had an energy about her that scared him. He couldn't remember his first transformation, it was too long ago to remember clearly. He knew that she wasn't going to have a very good birthday this time. As he pulled himself out of bed he wondered if she would hate him tomorrow. Tonks had kept her attitude positive so far, but would it hold until after her transformation? Did he dare tie her to him tonight when she could loathe him tomorrow? It was a chance he was willing to take, he couldn't let Fenrir have her. She was too delicate to be on her own, she still didn't know all the ways of the wolf.

He walked to the kitchen and found her going through the pantry, as she tried to find something to quench her ever rising hunger. "Try the dried beef," he said softly from the doorway. Tonks took out the dried beef and divided it, offering some to Remus. Leaning against the wall, she ate the beef right out of her hand, without thinking about what it looked like. All she knew was that she was hungrier than she ever had been before. "I'm sorry, love, did I wake you? I know it's still rather early, but I just can't seem to settle." She said, finding that she couldn't even stand still for a few minutes and walking over to him.

"I understand," he said softly and moved close to her so he could pull her into his arms. He hoped that his scent would calm her, he could feel her energy rising off in torrents and he was getting worried. "I love you Dora, no matter what happens tonight please remember that." He kissed the top of her head. He loved her so much that he wasn't able to contain it all, and he was terrified to think that tomorrow everything he loved might be taken from him.

Tonks felt calmer in his arms, but at the same time his scent excited her more than it had ever before. She could feel the beast stirring within her although moon rise was still hours away. She laid her head on his chest and heard his heartbeat. He smelled worried to her, "Remmy, nothing is going to change tonight." She said, using the special nickname that she had given him. "I honestly believe that what happens tonight will only accentuate what we already have."

He sighed and hugged her tighter as they sat on the floor wrapped in each other's arms. "I'm more nervous about the transformation than I am about the mating ceremony. I've only seen it done once... and I'm not sure if it will work with only the two of us. I don't know that many werewolves that I trust enough to be the witnesses," he admitted, rubbing his cheek against the top of her head.  
Tonks nodded, entwining her legs with her lover's, "I'm nervous about the transformation as well, but also very excited. I can't explain it, it's like nothing I have ever felt before. The mating ceremony, if it works...will we know it? I mean, will we know it after we go back to this form?" She leaned back against his chest, concentrating on the sounds of their heartbeats and their breathing.

"We will know it," Remus said assuredly. "When you take the wolfsbane potion you only transform in body, your mind is under your control. We will remember everything we did while in our wolf form. I just hope I don't mess up the ceremony. This will be the most important transformation either of us will ever have. It needs to be perfect."

"I wonder what I will look like in wolf form?" Tonks said, thinking about all the different looks that she'd had over the years. At the present moment, she was sporting a look which few had seen since she rather enjoyed looking different. But her hair was auburn and her eyes were golden brown. "What does the ceremony entail, Remus?" She asked, pressing her body to his in an attempt to get as close as she possibly could to him. Remus leaned down to kiss her, trying with all his might to keep control. He didn't want to scare her when he couldn't stop, on the full moon he couldn't keep himself away from her. He could taste her scent already, it was intoxicating. "What were we talking about again?" he asked as he kissed his way down her chin, his food forgotten.

"I honestly don't know," She said, breathlessly. "I don't think it matters..." She ran her fingertips down the front of his chest, her fingers tracing the scars that were there. She felt giddy and lightheaded. She nuzzled her head against his neck affectionately and her eyes flashed with desire. Her voice became husky as she tried to ask the question that she knew needed to be asked, "How soon before moon rise do we need to take the potion?"

"We should probably take it soon, the potion needs time to circulate in our bodies," he said softly, his breathing becoming ragged. He stood up quickly and stepped away from her. "I can't control myself today Tonks, I'm sorry." He sat down at the table and looked at her across the room. He could feel the energy crackling between them, he knew he wasn't going to last until the mating ceremony tonight without touching her. "Damn."

Tonks looked at Remus from across the room, not sure what the problem was unless they couldn't be together before the mating ceremony had been performed. She shook her head to clear it, her hair flying out like a mane around her head, and got the potions from the cupboard before her mind betrayed her again. Taking one vial for herself and giving one to Remus, she drank it down, making a face at its awful taste, "Ugh."

When she had put the vial down, she looked at Remus with concern in her eyes, "I haven't ever had a problem with you losing control before, Remus. I have come to enjoy it...why did you feel you had to back off?"

He sighed and looked at his hands. "I don't know how to explain it. You asked me about the mating ceremony, and I ignored the question. I'm afraid to tell you what it involves, it isn't the sort of thing that is talked about in polite company love. I don't know how to tell you what happens. It is so much more than a bonding," he said softly. She was going to hate him for keeping it all to himself.

Tonks went over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Remus, I knew that when this happened that everything wasn't going to be the way it should be. I mean, I knew that it wasn't going to be all pleasant," She said, having trouble saying what she meant. She was having trouble explaining herself, her mind was jumbled up. She concentrated really hard on what she wanted to say to him, hoping that she could keep her mind in check, "Remus, I love you and no matter what it entails, I want to do this with you." She could still smell faint traces of Fenrir about and she knew that he would be back tonight doing all he could to stop what they were about to do. "I want to be yours, in every sense of the word. Now and forever."

He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly on his lap. "You deserve to know the truth about this, it won't do me any good to hide this from you." He took a deep breath and looked up into her eyes. "You do understand that when I say mating ceremony, that means literally what it is. There is more to it than the mating of our wolf selves, but that is part of it. The transformation and mating is a ritual, I don't know whether it will be witnessed, and I'm not sure if it that will matter. Normally the witnesses add to the power of the couple, but I think it should work without them. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Tonks smiled at him and put her arms around his neck. "I understand, Remus," She said, kissing him and laying her head upon his chest, "I am not scared. Well, I am scared. I am scared of what will happen if this doesn't happen tonight. He is out there. He wants me for his mate. If we don't do this tonight, that gives him more opportunity." Tonks knew that her sentences were short but she also knew that there was no way for her to control that. "Maybe we should rest. We will need energy tonight."

Remus was incredibly grateful for the way she handled his information. She hadn't backed away from him in disgust or told him that she couldn't do it, she had told him that she loved him. He kissed her neck softly and squeezed her tightly to him. "Let's go to bed love, you'll be glad later that you got your sleep," he whispered and carried her up to their room.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she awoke, but the sun was setting outside their window. She seemed a bit more in control over her thoughts...the potion must be working. Stretched out on her stomach on the bed, she stretched and yawned, glad that she was able to get a few more hours sleep. Noticing that Remus was still asleep, she rolled over on her side and gently caressed his scalp, then gave him a bite on the ear to wake him up.  
He groaned and pulled her up against him. "Don't do that love please, we only have a few hours left and we need our strength," he said, his voice husky with sleep. He opened his eyes to see her stretched out before him, more catlike than wolf like "You would have made a better wereleopard," he teased with a soft and sleepy smile. She lay next to him, facing him and sinking into his beautiful brown eyes. She was acutely aware of how good he smelled; his musky odor was coming through strongly. She lay so that there wasn't a spare inch between them and fell asleep again in a few minutes, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

When she awoke again, the sky was dark and the sun had totally set. The first stars were just starting to come out, but the moon hadn't started rising yet. Her hunger was desperate and she went downstairs in search of meat. She found two steaks in the refrigerator and cooked them just enough to take the chill off, bringing them back up to the bedroom which they shared, "Remus, it's almost time. I brought you food." She knew that since they weren't going outside for the transformation that they had to eat while they were still in their human shape and could work the appliances needed.

He sat up and looked at what she had brought. "I think you have a grasp of being a werewolf even better than I ever did. Food is very important before a transformation, it keeps you from trying to hunt for food," he said and helped himself to one of the steaks. "We need to get into the safe room very shortly, we can't transform in the bedroom, I'd rather not to have to waste my remaining energy trying to repair the damages we could make to this room," he admitted, knowing that by the time morning came they would both be ready to sleep for a week, and it was hard to get the needed rest when your bed was ripped apart.

Tonks nodded as she ate the steak. She had only heated them, so that they still had the taste of raw meat on them, along with blood. She realized as she ate it that it was delicious, more savory than any meat she had ever tasted. She ran her tongue over her teeth to get off the traces of the meat, not wanting to waste any of it, "Moon rise is coming, I can feel it," She said, unable to keep the anticipation out of her voice. She removed the ring that he had given her for their engagement, not wanting it to be damaged in the transformation. "I think we better go there now...I call feel the moon's pull."

Remus took her hand and led her from the room. "We need to be locked in the room before the moon rises, otherwise we are vulnerable in the house," he explained as they walked down into the basement room that was opposite the kitchen. "I'm not sure if this will work without witnesses, but if it doesn't, we have to find at least two for the next full moon. Let's just hope this works." They walked into the room, it was cold, dark... windowless. It was perfect. He took out his wand and locked the door securely, turning to look at Tonks in the darkness. "Can you see me?"

Tonks nodded, her eyesight was sharper than it usually was in the dark. She could see the outline of his form, "I hope it works." She had smelt Fenrir as they were coming down to the basement and knew that he was out there, waiting. She also felt a bit strange because she knew that without the window the moon rise would come on them suddenly, as would the transformation, "We just wait here until moon rise? There's nothing that has to be done before then?"

He stepped forward and took her into his arms, pressing her tight against him. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "No matter what I do, follow me, don't hesitate just do it. The ceremony takes a long time and if everything isn't done right... trust me, just follow my lead."

He moved his mouth to the soft section of skin below her ear where he could feel her heart beat rapidly. He placed his lips to it and kissed it softly, not daring to open his mouth to the skin. "When a werewolf greets you, they will kiss you in this spot. It is a sign of trust. If someone bit you here... you would lose a lot of blood. They will usually press a soft kiss to this spot. This is how the ceremony begins, by kissing the pulse, even biting it softly, not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to feel. It is a sign that we trust each other." He bit her skin softly, reigning in his lust for the blood underneath. "Now, it's your turn."

Tonks moved her mouth to the spot below Remus' right ear, kissing his pulse and giving it a gentle bite. She was careful not to break the skin, although it took a lot of willpower to do it. She could smell his blood through his skin and the scent excited her.

Remus released her from the tight grip he was holding her in, his breathing was fast and shallow. "Can you feel it? The moon is rising," he said, his voice no longer his own. It was low and hoarse. "Remember, follow my lead," he choked out and suddenly he was on all four, panting on the ground. A scream of pain ripped through him as his beast came through to the surface. Hair began to spout all over his body, his fingers and toes were lengthening. He was no longer man, but beast. His mind remained alert and human though and in his pain he looked for Tonks, to see if she was transforming without problems. Soon after Remus released her, she felt to the ground in a spasm of pain. She could feel her bones and muscles shifting and changing. Her teeth poked up through her gums and lengthened, as did her nails. She heard herself whimper in pain as the transformation continued and after eternity the pain lessened. She had become a wolf, and looked for her mate, for her Remus. She found that she could also think human thoughts, remembered who she was and who she had been.

Remus rose from the ground, a proud Alpha wolf. He spotted his mate and howled joyfully, he had found his life mate, and it was time to make her his. He began to walk around the auburn wolf licking his lips hungrily. They circled each other a few times, sniffing each other to learn the other's smell. It was time to join the pack, to become lukoi, family. He licked the side of her face gently, yet insistently. He needed to learn her taste, he needed her. She howled in answer to his call; then circled him and sniffed him, becoming familiar with his scent. She knew that he wanted her to be his mate, and when he licked the side of her face she responded with a lick of her own. His taste was good to her, his scent intoxicating. She wished for the tan wolf to take her and make her his. The two of them performed a sort of dance; they took turns tasting each other and exploring one another with their senses. The female would offer herself to the male, then sidestep him; this happened several times when it finally came to an end and the alpha male made her his.

They lay on the ground, wolf forms curled against each other taking in the warmth of the other. He nuzzled her with his snout and whimpered softly. He wanted her to know that this had been the best transformation he had ever had, even more so than with the marauders. He knew instinctively that the mating had worked, they were now pack... lukoi, they were one. It was an incredible feeling to have, he hoped that she could feel it too. He licked her again softly on her snout, even in wolf form wanting to be near her. She was his.

The female snuggled against her mate, she knew that it had worked as well. Nuzzling him affectionately with her snout and licking his ear tenderly, she whimpered to let him know how happy she was. The other wolf could not take her and make her his. He had been defeated. She had felt a surge of power when they had become one, telling her that the mating had been successful.

Just as the two were drifting off to sleep, the female heard a sound which made her growl and her fur stand on end. The other wolf was out there, prowling around, looking for a way in. But he couldn't get in, and he couldn't have her.

The male reared back his lips and showed his teeth menacingly. He growled and howled angrily at the other male outside. He had lost, he hadn't gotten what he had come to take, why wasn't he leaving? He must have known as well as they did that the mating had taken hold, even without the usual group of witnesses. He couldn't understand why Greyback wasn't accepting defeat. They heard an angry and mournful wailing from outside and the male instinctively moved to protect his lupa. Greyback couldn't get into the house, it was impossible... and yet he couldn't quite get rid of the frightened feeling that this matter wasn't settled yet.

Fenrir snarled menacingly and howled back at the wolf who had claimed his intended mate. He was angry. Angrier than he had ever been before. He growled loudly, so that the alpha male and the bitch inside would know of his anger. He had come here, waiting for them to come outside to perform the mating ritual so that he could overtake the female, but he should have known that they would hide from him. It was useless, the female was lost to him. For now, anyway. But he also knew that if the pair had cubs, that if he stole one of the cubs he could overpower the male and claim the female for his own. All was not lost, just delayed.

The lupa snuggled against her mate, whimpering slightly as she heard and smelled the angry male outside. A memory of their last encounter with him was still fresh in her mind and he frightened her greatly. She nuzzled her mate with her snout, looking for reassurance.

He nuzzled her back, his hackles raised as the wolf outside snarled and howled. He could feel the terrified energy coming off his lupa, and he was furious that Greyback had come to ruin the most important night of their lives. He hadn't succeeded in stopping the mating, but he was showing his displeasure. If they had transformed outside they would have been forced to comply with another part of the mating ritual... the duel between the Alpha Males for the right to the female. Remus knew that even though Greyback was older, he was stronger. He would have lost Tonks, and he couldn't let that happen. He just hoped that Greyback would leave them alone now, though he knew it was a futile hope.

After one last howl at the wolves within the structure Fenrir decided that it was time to leave. He thought maybe he would let them alone for now, let them think he had given up. Besides, the night was his and there was prey for the taking. Let them have their moment, for now. He would have his revenge later.

The auburn female relaxed as she felt the male going away. At last they were safe and Fenrir could not claim her as his own. Nuzzling her mate affectionately one last time she went to sleep, wearied by the ritual and the terror which had plagued them.


	8. The Morning After

In a shadowy part of London, a wolf was reverting back to its human form. The gray fur was sinking slowly into the human skin, the paws were contracting back into human hands, the snout was once more retreating back and becoming a human nose. The unearthly howl of the wolf became a human scream of pain as the transformation became complete. 

The scream of pain turned to one of rage as he recalled the events of the previous evening. Pounding his first on the floor, he splintered the wood with his force as a sneer crossed over his face.

"Damn that Remus Lupin! I should have known that he would keep his precious Tonks locked up last night. They have performed the mating ritual and now my plans are put on the back burner, for now. But I will have my day."

Remus awoke as the sun rose, his body was contorting back into Human form and he was howling in pain. It was never as bad changing back, but it was also never pleasant. He was gasping for breath as he reached for Tonks' hand. The worst was over, they wouldn't have to worry about another transformation for a month to come. They needed to get their rest though, their bodies were exhausted.

Tonks had woken around the same time as Remus and her pain, though not as intense as the night before, was bad enough. She felt every muscle and bone contract as she regained her human shape and howled in pain to match Remus' own howl. When she was back to her human form, she looked over at Remus who was reaching for her hand and reached out to him herself. She was shocked to find how weak she felt, the smallest move took much effort. "It really happened, didn't it?" She whispered softly.

"If you mean the mating ceremony, yes it did, and it worked," he said weakly, "you are stuck with me now for the rest of your life." He was trying to lighten the somber mood that Greyback's visit had left them with. He knew how terrified she must be, and his resolve to kill him was strengthened. He couldn't let Tonks get hurt, he would do anything to keep it from happening, even kill their enemy.

"Stuck with you...you make it sound so negative..." She said softly. "I never wanted anything more." Another part of the night came to the front of her mind. "He was here...outside the house." She realized how cold she was feeling, but whether it was from fear or due to the temperature in the room she didn't know. Maybe a combination of the two. "I guess he knows that he lost."

He moved across the floor to pull her into his arms. "He knows he lost, but that doesn't mean he will give up. His continued presence after we were mated is proof of that. He wants you, even though the magic governing werewolves won't allow it. Somehow he must think he can find a way." He looked into her eyes. "You know that I won't let him have you, don't you?" He was scared to let her out of his grasp.

"I know, Remus," She said, looking deeply into his eyes. "Let's not talk about him." Her golden brown eyes pleaded with him and she allowed a ghost of a smile to grace her lips. Leaning gently forward, she gave him a kiss which was sweet and tender, remembering the pleasures of the night before. "This was really one birthday I will never forget, Remus."

"It isn't over yet, I have a few gifts to give you. One as a traditional part of the mating ceremony, and one as a gift for your birthday. When we are finally able to move back upstairs and into bed," he teased as he kissed her neck softly. "It seems that I was wrong."

Tonks smiled at him then wrinkled her forehead in thought, "What were you wrong about, my love?" She stretched out her legs and flinched at the pain that simple gesture caused, "Oh, I hope that we have some pain potion around here, I am really going to need it." Her whole body ached, as if she had run a fifty mile marathon. "I don't know if I'll be able to move again."

Remus pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I made sure to stock our potion cabinet, we have some pain potion for the both of us," he said soothingly. He knew how painful it was for a younger werewolf during their early transformations, he remembered the agony he was in when he had woken up after becoming human again. "Tell you what, if you can make it up to our room, I'll meet you upstairs with the pain potions and then I'll give you your gifts," he promised. Remus pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I made sure to stock our potion cabinet, we have some pain potion for the both of us," he said soothingly. He knew how painful it was for a younger werewolf during their early transformations, he remembered the agony he was in when he had woken up after becoming human again. "Tell you what, if you can make it up to our room, I'll meet you upstairs with the pain potions and then I'll give you your gifts," he promised. Biting her lower lip, Tonks nodded. "You better give me a head start though, because it may take me a week to get up there," She said, laughing but knowing that she was only half kidding. Painfully getting to her feet, she looked down at her naked form and wondered how she had looked last night. "By the way, you make a very sexy wolf, Remus Lupin.

He found the stock of pain potions in the back of the cabinet and pulled them out. There was a good stock of them for now, but who knew how long they would stay at 12 Grimmauld place? He didn't know if she had thought about looking for a house of their own yet, but they would be starting their new jobs in the coming week. They would have the money to buy a small flat, or even a house out in the country so they could transform at home. As he went back upstairs he wondered how she would feel about owning a little house on the edge of the woods. It would be much easier to handle than a place in town. He decided to ask her about it.

He walked into the room and saw her lying on the bed, her body stretched out. He assumed it was because she was trying to stretch out her sore muscles. "Here, this might help love," he said and handed her the potion bottle. "When you are finished taking that, I'll give you your gifts." She looked up and smiled at him, accepting the proffered bottle. "Thank you." She drank the potion down and within a few minutes she felt herself begin to feel rejuvenated. Sighing with relief, she gingerly sat up. "Amazing things, potions. If it had been a muggle remedy I highly doubt it would have worked that quickly. My father would take something for his headaches and it took at least twenty minutes to just begin giving him relief."

"Even with Fenrir showing up, Remus, last night was wonderful. I can see why people become animagi. It's really neat to have another form, to break free of the human form and take on one of an animal. I hope that one day we'll be able to go hunt together, if we can get away from him"  
He took her hand and looked up into her eyes. "I was actually going to ask you about that," he said softly. "I'm not sure how long you wanted to stay here in Grimmauld Place, probably until Fenrir has been dealt with, but I was thinking about looking for a home in the country, one near the woods. It would be comfortable for us." He hoped she agreed, it would really make things easier on both of them if they lived farther from the city.

Tonks smiled at him. "While I was laying here waiting for you to come up, the thought had occurred to me that we had made a lot of noise last night, to say nothing of Fenrir. You and I know that we did nothing wrong, but unfortunately if someone spotted Fenrir they may get the wrong idea about you and I. I think us being out in the country would be better for all of us considered."

"Do you have any idea of how much I love you?" he asked softly, tracing the soft curve of her neck and shoulder. "We will start looking for houses soon, but for now we are safe from Fenrir here, he can't come in the house." He smiled softly at her. He loved this woman will all of his being, and now she was his, completely and forever. They had been bound together by an ancient magic, and they could never be parted. It was the most amazing feeling he had ever had.

"I do, Remus," She said, glancing over his face with her fingertips. He was her whole heart and soul now, they were married in the way of the werewolf and one day they would marry in eyes of the wizarding community too. Taking her wand, she summoned her ring and placed it back on her finger. "I have been in love before, and I loved you before last night, but today that love is different. It's complete, it's whole. We are one."

He kissed her softly, his heart exploding with his love for her. She made him feel like he was home, no matter where he was. She was his home. That is what family meant, and she was now his family in every way that mattered. "Are you ready for your gifts now?" he asked as he wrapped his fingers tight around hers. "I think you will like them."

Deciding that things were too serious and they needed some humor, she chuckled. "Now, Remus, when did you ever know me to turn down a gift?" She had actually thought about what she would like to give him as a sign of their mating, but she wasn't sure what he would like. She knew that when the time came, she would know it. "If they are from you, Remus, I know I will like them."

He kissed her softly and walked over to the bureau to grab the two wrapped packages from where he had hidden them. He walked back over to the bed and handed her the first gift. "This one is for your birthday," he said handing her the larger of the two gifts. "Neither of them are very useful, but I thought you would appreciate them just the same."

She opened the first box, and to her delight there was an assortment of different items that she knew that he had chosen with care. There were chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, and assorted items from Wizarding Wheezes shop. She had always had eccentric taste and this was the perfect gift for her. She was truly touched by his thoughtfulness. "Remus, you know exactly what I like. Thank you."

He fingered the last gift he had for her. This one had more meaning that anything he had ever given someone, if she didn't like it... well, he wouldn't think about that. He handed her the gift and watched her open it slowly. Inside was a white gold pendant on a delicate chain. It depicted two wolves intertwined, their snouts touching at the nose. Their bodies were wrapped about each other. He thought it was the perfect gift for the ceremony. When Tonks opened the box and saw what was inside, she sat there for a moment or two not saying anything. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and at last she looked up into the eyes of her Remus, her Ulfric. Their eyes met and she saw the concern in them. Smiling softly, she reached out and trailed her hand alongside his cheek. "Remus, this is so beautiful. Will you place it around my neck?"

He took the chain and wrapped it careful around her neck, bringing the fastenings to the back so that he could close it. He bent down and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and held her close, drinking in her scent. It was different this morning, no longer distinctly hers. It was their scent. "Dora, you smell different," he said softly, still surprised at how that changed.

She placed her hand on the pendant at the hollow of her throat, closing her eyes and remembering the night before. She had been worried that it would have been frightening and it had been, in a way. But not in the way that she had expected. It had been wonderful and complete all at the same time. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving his right ear a nibble as a way of affection. "I remember him saying about there being two scents that day in Diagon Alley. That isn't true anymore, is it?"

"No, we share a scent now. It's the scent of our pack. You and I are our own pack, we are family. It's a wonderful feeling isn't it?" he asked, touching her sides in a caressing motion. "If our children are werewolves as well, they will share our scent and be part of the pack. I hope they aren't though, no child should have to go through that at such a young age. A baby wolf would be hard to handle, the poor cub wouldn't be able to move, they would just howl. I don't know if I could bear to see our children in that kind of pain."

Tonks agreed with him that it was a wonderful feeling, nodding and smiling at him. When the talk of their children came up, her face fell as he spoke of the pain that the child would feel. She knew that would be horrible as well, but the alternative was also too much to bear. She knew that she had to be honest with him. "Remus, we need to find out as soon as possible what would happen if we have children. I mean, there's so much to think about. What happens if, last night when we mated, if I got pregnant then in wolf form? If we have children, yes it would be hard for them to be werewolves but it would also be hard on all of us if they weren't. We would have to worry about biting them."

"Dora, don't you think that Molly would take care of the children when we transform? I'm sure she would love to have a baby in her arms," he said kindly, brushing back a lock of hair behind her ear. "That is one thing that we wouldn't have to worry about. Our baby would be well taken care of no matter what happens." He hugged her tightly, kissing her hair.

"You're right, Remus. I'm really being silly," She said, blushing. "And you're right, she loves children. I'm sorry, things are just still a bit jumbled in my mind. There are several things I know for sure though. I know that I am the happiest I can ever remember being. I know that whether our child is a werewolf or not, no child will ever be loved more, and that I love you with my whole heart, body, soul and spirit." She ran her fingers through his hair affectionately, tracing the places where it was gray and kissing his temple.

"You don't hate me because of your transformation then?" This had been the things that had worried him most. If she had been so miserable during the transformation that she would try to leave him, not that she could any longer, they were bound together now, but he was worried that she would want to. He sat on the bed again, looking down at his hands. What had he done to her?

Tonks smiled at him, her eyes full of sadness. Did he really think that she could hate him? Reaching over, she took his head and gently tilted it up to look at her. "Remus, please listen to me. I could never hate you. I love you, I have for years, and I always will. When I became an Auror, I knew that things would be difficult. The training was hard and at times painful. I knew that there were days I could go out and not come back. But I continued because I love it, and refused to give it up no matter how hard it got. Same thing goes with our relationship. I know that once a month you and I will transform. But you know what?" Here she paused and smiled at him.

"Like being an Auror the benefits far outweigh the pain. I love you and I am here with you for better and for worse. Last night was the most wonderful night I can remember in my life, Remus, and nothing can take that away from me."

Looking into her eyes he could see that she meant every word she spoke. She really didn't blame him for her condition, she still had that beautiful optimistic attitude that he loved so much. "You have made me the happiest man alive, I don't deserve your love, but I refuse to give it up either." He pulled her down onto his lap and smiled as he kissed her. "I think that we need some rest, I'm still exhausted from all that activity last night," he said in a gentle and teasing voice.

Stifling a yawn from the activities of the night before, she closed her eyes partway and showed her weariness but at the same time looked rather seductive. The chill in the air had caused her flesh to be covered in goosebumps as it contracted to keep her warm.

"A rest sounds just like what the healer ordered," She said, smiling at her mate. "But I do believe we need to get under the covers, because I am rather chilly after being clothed in a fur coat most of the night.

With that, she wrapped her arms around Remus' neck, drinking in his scent which was now a part of her, and covered his face and neck with kisses.

Remus pulled her tightly into his arms and began to stroke her back gently, trying to lull her to sleep. He could feel in her muscles how tense she still was, even if she was no longer aching. "You need your sleep love, trust me, you will feel better after you rest," he whispered in her ear. He loved to watch her when she slept, he thought she looked like an angel. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and listened for the sound of her breathing becoming even. He couldn't sleep until he knew that she wouldn't wake up, it was part of protecting her and making sure she was safe. If he fell asleep before she did, he couldn't protect her from anything that might harm her.

Finally he felt her pulse slow down and he heard her soft and even breaths against his face. "I'll protect you from Fenrir Dora, no matter what I have to do to keep you safe," he promised. He closed his eyes and soon sleep had claimed him as well.

Tonks slowly became aware of her surroundings again as the blanket of sleep pulled aware from her. She could feel her love's strong, capable arms around her body and hear his throaty snores as he slumbered. His warm breath was upon her neck, a calm and soothing breeze which caused her body to tingle. She opened her eyes slowly, as she wasn't sure how late it was and she didn't want the shock of the bright sunlight to surprise her. However, she could tell by the streaming red light of the setting sun that evening was on its way.

Reaching over, she allowed her fingers to play through Remus' tan hair which had been streaked with gray due to his lifestyle and hardships he'd had to face. She gently massaged his scalp, not waking him but hoping to sooth him and let him know that she was there. Once she was nearly fully awake, she felt another beast inside of her wanting to be satisfied. Hunger clawed at her insides as she realized that neither of them had eaten since the transformation and that would soon need to be remedied.

He was awoken by his intense hunger. His eyes snapped open to find the bed empty and cold and his insides froze quickly. Had she left him? He got out of the bed as quickly as he could and pulled on a pair of old blue sweatpants. He couldn't sense her anywhere near him and he felt as if his heart were going to jump out of his chest in his fright. "Tonks?" He called worriedly as he scrambled down the steps to the kitchen. Perhaps she had been as hungry as he was? If that was it... why couldn't he feel her?

He entered the kitchen and heard her rustling around in the pantry again. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. As quick as his fear had left it came on him again. If she was almost standing next to him, why couldn't he feel her presence? He moved closer to the pantry and looked inside. Tonks was looking for something to make for them to eat, wanting to surprise Remus with it when he awoke. She knew that they wouldn't be eating their meat raw, as they had last night, but they would need meat to satisfy their hunger.

She recalled eating the raw meat, the taste of the flesh upon her lips, the tantalizing aroma that had drifted towards her nostrils as she tore at it and swallowed, but most of all the blood that had dripped off of the meat. That sweet sweet blood.

She licked her lips at the memory and knew that somehow, some way, the next full moon they would have to go hunting. They would take their potions so that the blood lust would not overcome them, but she longed for the thrill of the hunt.

She became acutely aware that she was no longer alone in the pantry. She heard the door open and the delicious aroma of her mate filled her nostrils. Turning, she forcibly embraced him and bit him gently on the neck. He felt her in his arms, felt her teeth against his neck... but couldn't feel her presence with him. It was more than a little disturbing, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. "Tonks, what are you thinking about right now?" he asked. Perhaps while she was talking some of his feeling would come back. There was something odd going on that he couldn't discern. Why couldn't he sense her?

Tonks pulled away from Remus, and looked at him in a confused way. It seemed a rather strange question for him to ask but she figured he had a reason for asking it. "Well, I was thinking about fixing us dinner, and then I started thinking about how good that steak tasted last night before we transformed. I thought about the flesh and the blood..." She said, shaking her head because it was getting her excited. Raising her eyebrow at him, she felt more confused than ever. "Why do you ask"  
He sat down at the table and looked around the kitchen. Only two years ago Sirius had sat at this very table, drinking firewhiskey and reminiscing about their school years. It almost didn't feel right sitting in this kitchen without him. "Do you ever miss Sirius?" He asked Tonks softly, wondering if perhaps that was his problem. Up until today his main focus had been on having a safe place to stay until her first transformation. Now his thoughts were focused on the memories of this house, and that might be what was clouding his perceptions and feelings. Tonks closed the pantry and sat down with her head in her hands. She hadn't known what he was going to ask but she certainly didn't expect that question.

When she looked up again, tears were glistening on her auburn eyelashes like diamonds on a rose. She hadn't thought about Sirius that much over the past couple of years. He was gone, and then all hell had basically broken loose. "I do miss him Remus. We were both the black sheep of the house of black. He was put in Gryffindor and my mother married a muggleborn wizard. I have a few memories of him from my childhood, always with you, James and Peter of course. I was always amazed that you guys wanted a little twerp like me hanging around you. We had a special relationship, he and I."

"That rat Peter Pettigrew cheated me out of everything that we could have shared. By the time he was out of Azkaban, so many years had passed and then he was gone. We couldn't even have a funeral for him."

Once again she felt the pain of his passing and it tore her up inside. She saw in Remus' face a pain which matched her own, and she took his hand in hers.

"What do you think he'd say if he was here right now? Do you think he'd be happy for us?"

Remus squeezed her hand gently and he smiled at her. "Sirius had actually teased me on occasion about how I had looked after you. He told me numerous times that I would end up asking you to marry me because no one else would have me," he grinned at the memory. "I think Sirius would be happy for us love, I think he always knew deep down that we were meant for each other." Tonks smiled back at Remus, the pain once again becoming a dull ache. "I think he would be happy for us too," She said, squeezing his hand back. Tonks stood and summoned two bottles of firewhiskey from the pantry. Handing one to Remus, she opened the other.

"I propose a toast to Sirius Black - a shining star who was taken back into the heavens too long before his time." She raised her bottle in salute to her favorite cousin.

Remus lifted his bottle and touched hers lightly. "To Sirius," he repeated slowly and took a long drink from his bottle. It burned going down his throat, but he liked it, it reminded him that he was alive, and that he could feel pain. No matter what went wrong in his life, he was still alive and he had Tonks. He sat back in his chair and looked over at the woman he loved. She had endured so much with him, so much because of him, yet she hadn't left. She was the first person in his life apart from the Marauders who had gotten close to him, and hadn't left him. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Thank you for everything," he said softly.

Tonks drank some of the firewhiskey down as well. The alcohol burned her throat and she coughed a bit because she wasn't used to drinking alcohol that much.

When Remus said thank you, she smiled at him, "No thanks needed, Remus. I love you and nothing is going to change that"

He looked down at his bottle and decided to take another drink. He suddenly missed Sirius so much that all he felt was a dull ache inside his chest where the Marauders should be. He was the last remaining of the four brothers. He had lost the other three to war, all in different way... but they had always assumed that he would be the first to go, they had all been resigned to it. Now that he was the last one left he didn't know how to handle it. He was the lone brother, an outcast. He looked back up at Tonks and felt a swelling in his heart. No matter how alone he felt, he never would be again. He had a mate for life, a woman who would be his wife in a very short period of time. He knew that if he wanted to keep on living, he would do best to focus on the future, and leave the past alone. 

"When do you want to get married?" he asked, pushing his firewhiskey away.

Tonks saw the shadow of sadness cross over her beloved's face, and knew that he was thinking about the other marauders. It had to be hard on him to be the last one. But then she saw him brighten up, and she smiled at him. When he asked the question about getting married, she thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, I think I'd like to get married as soon as we can. I don't want to put it off that long. But we have to also plan. Not just for the ceremony itself, but for the precautions we will have to take. Do you think Dumbledore might let us have it at Hogwarts."

She was thinking about Fenrir and the remaining Death Eaters who had survived the fight. They would love to stop their wedding from happening, she knew.

Remus was thoughtful, Dumbledore would probably let them have the wedding at Hogwarts, provided it was before the school year started. There might be a lot of confusion if school was in session when they had it. "I'll owl him this evening and ask him. It shouldn't be a problem I don't think, just remember that sometime soon I promised to take Harry and the rest of them to Potter Manor. Technically we could do that after school resumes, since none of them are going off to school this year. Hermione and Ginny should be in the stage where they are working on correspondence coursed through post and floo." Tonks took a deep breath and nodded, "You're right. I just don't want our wedding to be ruined, you know? And Hogwarts is the safest place we can think of. There is something that I would like to do before we start working at the Ministry"

She stood up and cleaned off the table, putting their firewhiskeys into the refrigerator. "I think we should go to St. Mungo's and talk to someone who can tell us about having a child. I don't know whether you want to have one right away or we want to wait, but since I am rather new to being a werewolf and you're not sure how the mating will affect our reproduction, we should find out about it before I get pregnant and we're in an unknown territory."

"We don't start work until Monday, we can go to St. Mungo's tomorrow and have a Healer consultation. I'm sure they would love to sit down and talk to us about it. They are there to help us out," he said and pulled her into his arms. He rested his cheek on top of her head and reveled at the feeling of her near him. Now that he had pinpointed his problem, he could feel her again. "I love you so much Dora," he whispered.

"I love you too, Remmy," She said, running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek gently. "Let's get something to eat to satisfy the hunger in our stomachs and then I have another hunger that I think needs to be taken care of as well," She said, winking at him.


	9. Important Talks

Tonks stretched and moaned softly, her senses not as sharp as they had been the day before but still sharper than normal. She didn't feel any traces of pain from the day before and it seemed like her first transformation was now just a pleasant memory. 

She looked over at her sleeping mate. He was so peaceful when he was sleeping, his gentle rhythmic breathing echoing in the house. She could see his eyeballs moving back and forth behind his eyelids so she knew that he must be dreaming.

Just then an owl flew into the window and she saw the Hogwarts crest upon it. Figuring it was from Dumbledore, she decided to wait until Remus woke up to open it so that they could read it together.

Standing up, she went over to the window and opened it, drinking in the fresh air and sunshine as if it was a fine wine to be savored.

Just then she heard Remus cry out in his sleep. She turned around to see that he was thrashing around on the bed. Going over to him, she drew him close to her.

"Shh, my love, it's alright."

He couldn't find his way out. The branches of the forest seemed to be working against him, they were all cutting off his path, slapping him in the face, grabbing at his clothing. He tried in vain to hit them away, but they just kept getting in his way. He was getting desperate now, his parents were sure to be worried about him. He should have been home hours ago, but he had been having too much fun with the neighbor kids.

A howl echoed close by and he shivered. It was a full moon out, and his parents had often told him that there was a werewolf in these woods. Panic flooded him as he took a different path to try and get home and found it once again blocked by branches.

Another howl echoed through the woods, it was closer now. He could hear his heart beating frantically against his chest and he willed it to quiet down. Footsteps were approaching, he heard them and ran as fast as he could in the other direction. He was crying now, tears streaming down his face as he ran from the unknown predator.

He felt himself being knocked off his feet and he screamed in terror and pain. "NOOO!"

Remus awoke in a cold sweat.

Tonks sat there, holding Remus in her arms and stroking his head, trying to calm him down. When he screamed out, it wrenched her heart until it felt as though it would come right out of her chest.

Summoning a washcloth from the bathroom, she used a spell to wet it and gently laid him back on his back. She whispered soothing words to him, to calm him down while she ran the washcloth over his body and soothed him with it. The soapy scent seemed to relax him a bit and his body was less tense. When he had stopped shaking, she dried him off gently with a towel and lay down beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it, love?"

Remus closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the horrible dream, but it wouldn't go away. Instead, his feelings of fear increased the more he thought about it. He opened his eyes and looked into Tonks'. "I was dreaming about my attack, when I was six and Fenrir attacked me. He and my father had fought earlier that month, my father had made him angry and Fenrir had decided to take me from him. In the end it worked." He felt tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

Tonks sighed, not knowing what to say. She just sat there, stroking Remus' head and trying to do her best to sooth him.

"I'm so sorry, love. You know if I could I would make it all go away for you. But I am here for you, you know that right?"

She gently trailed her hands over his chest and kissed him on his lips. Fenrir had ruined Remus' life and he was still doing his best to ruin what they had together.

He clasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I just hope that when I attacked you, it wasn't as bad as when he attacked me. My parents thought I was going to die, and in a way I did I suppose. You can't live when part of you is dead forever," he said in a haunted tone. He could remember the way his parents had stayed up with him night after night. Fever had plagued him, his wounds couldn't be healed. They had discussed in hushed tones what they should do. He remembered his parents asking each other if it would be better to kill their son so he didn't have to face a life like this. "You were lucky to have such a normal life."

Tonks didn't say anything at first, just sat there holding him and doing her best to comfort him. Her heart was breaking, seeing him like this. But she knew that she could offer some comfort in what she was about to say.

"You attacking me, I didn't even hardly see it coming. I was fighting some of the Death Eaters, and then I saw you out of the corner of my eye headed for Harry. I had no time to be afraid, I did what had to be done. When I woke up, all I felt was the pain in my wrist and then I remembered what had happened."

Leaning down, she gave him a hug.

"Each of us has demons in our past that we live with each day. But you don't have to go through it alone anymore, Remus. We are together now and I want you to feel free to talk to me about it anytime you feel the need. We have a bright and glorious future ahead of us."

Remus looked up into her eyes and the barest flicker of a smile came to his lips. "I wouldn't know what to do without you. You make me whole, you give me someone to lean on. I don't think I will ever be able to express what that means to me." He put his hand up to cup her cheek. His fingers caressed her face gently, looking into her eyes in wonder. "What have I done to deserve you?"

Tonks just smiled back at him. She knew that there was a time when she might need to talk to him about something as well. She had her own secrets from her past which haunted her and one day she would tell him. But today wasn't the day.

His touch felt so good on her face, so warm and alive. "The same thing that I must have done to deserve you, whatever that may be," she answered softly.

Remembering the post, Tonks smiled. "By the way, we got a letter from Hogwarts today. I'm sure it's Dumbledore replying to your letter last night," She said, handing it to him.

He took it and tapped it with his wand. The envelope unsealed itself and a letter fell out onto Tonk's lap, he picked it up slowly, brushing his fingers against her leg as he did. He saw her shiver and grinned with a masculine pride. He pulled the letter close and began to read it aloud.

Dear Remus and Nymphadora,

I am pleased to hear that you two have decided to finally get married, and at Hogwarts no less! Minerva and I would be overjoyed to host the wedding party here at our beautiful school. As you know school resumes on the first of September, a month from now. I would request that the wedding be before the students return for the new year, and I'm sure you understand why. Please send all of the information regarding your wedding to me as soon as you possibly can manage it.

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. Congratulations on your new job with the Ministry.

Tonks beamed as she listened to Dumbledore's letter. "It sounds as though he has been waiting for us to get married for a long time, doesn't he?" She said with a laugh.

"We should check our calendar and see when the most opportune time would be to get married. But for now, what do you say we go get something to eat because I am starving and then go to St. Mungo's?"

They arrived at St. Mungo's after a big breakfast and an enjoyable trip to the bedroom. They were holding hands and grinning like fools by the time they arrived. When they walked up to the desk Remus had no idea what to ask the reception witch. He looked to Tonks for help with a nervous smile on his face.

Tonks laughed nervously as well. When she got up the courage, she smiled at the witch and said, "We'd like to see a healer regarding fertility."

"Human, lycanthrope or vampire?" The reception witch said, looking bored and snapping her gum.

Tonks looked at the witch like she had grown two heads, "Uh, lycanthrope."

"Third door on your left down that hall," She said, nodding in the direction.

"Thank you," Tonks said, then turning to Remus once they were out of earshot, "What, no veela?"

He grinned down at her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, he didn't want to risk any more than that in the hospital. They reached the door and looked at each other nervously before Remus held it open for her to walk in. He walked in after her and saw that she was staring uncomfortably around. He could see why after he looked around. They were standing in a small waiting room that was completely empty. "Are we in the right room?" he asked softly.

Tonks felt a sort of shiver go up her back as they stared at the empty room. She suddenly knew why Fenrir wanted her so badly, "Remus...are the other werewolf and I the only female werewolves?"

Before he could answer her, the healer came out of the back room, "Greetings. The receptionist told me that I had a young couple coming in to see me. Welcome. I am Healer Curtis."

Tonks gave him a small smile, "I'm Tonks and this is Remus. We have a couple of questions about having a family."

Remus squeezed her hand and looked directly at the Healer. "This is very important to us, we want to have children and a family, but I don't want her taking any unnecessary challenges," he said softly. He knew that he looked like a lovesick sap, but that was what he was. If the Healer told them that having children might endanger her life, they wouldn't do it. He wanted her with him more than he wanted children.

"Well, let me get some information from the two of you and we'll go from there. Why don't we go into my office?" Curtis said, leading the way into his inner office, "Please have a seat. Now, tell me. I'm guessing that the two of you are both werewolves?"

"Yes we are. I have been one for over a month, Remus has been one for a great deal longer," Tonks said, squeezing his hand.

Remus smiled nervously at the Healer as he took out a form and began to fill it out. "I will admit that werewolves aren't the most fertile creatures, which makes a full werewolf couple have even more troubles than only one of them being a wolf. It isn't impossible though," he admitted after seeing the look of hurt cross Tonks' face.

"It is possible to actually have children then?" Remus asked seriously.

"Yes, it is possible," Curtis said, folding his hands in front of him. "Obviously, if you do conceive then we will have to make arrangements to take the baby so that we make sure that it isn't born at the wrong time of the month."

Tonks nodded. "We have talked about this before, Remus and I, and we figured that would need to be the case. Healer Curtis, what are the chances that our child would carry the werewolf gene?"

"About the same as any other recessive gene. You could have a perfectly normal human child, or the child could be a werewolf. If you like, during the pregnancy we can do tests which will tell us if the child will be a werewolf or not."

Remus thought about what the Healer had said and he nodded. "Is there anything erm..." he blushed and cleared his throat, "is there anything special we need to do in order to get pregnant?" He couldn't believe he had asked it, but if they wanted to have children, and it was a bit harder, he wanted to do anything possible so they could have their family.

Healer Curtis chuckled. "Well other than the obvious, I do have a potion that I can give both of you to encourage the creation of another human life. I do have to warn you, though. As it encourages egg production in the female, you may have more than one."

"Well, i don't know about Remus, but I wouldn't mind having twins. " Tonks said, squeezing his hand.

"There is one other thing I must tell you. If you conceive while in wolf form, the chances are greater that the conception will produce a werewolf child."

Remus looked down at his lap, willing for his blush to go away. When he finally looked back at the Healer he saw a twinkle in his eyes. "I wouldn't mind having more than one child, especially if it was the only time we could ever get pregnant," he said softly.

"I would suggest trying to refrain from sexual activity during your transformations though, unless you use a contraceptive charm before hand," Healer Curtis said matter-of-factly. It was if he said this sort of things to couples all the time.  
Tonks laughed heartily, a blush creeping up to her face as well. "That's not easy to do, Healer Curtis," she said, with a laugh. "I know how difficult it is for someone who doesn't have to deal with it to understand but the pull of the moon, it's too hard to bear sometimes."

Healer Curtis looked at the young couple, recognition finally dawning on his face. "I am fully aware of that, Tonks and Remus. For I am, too, a werewolf. Remus, you witnessed my mating ceremony with Emily so many years ago. That's why I went into this line of work, to help others like yourselves deal with the same kind of thing that Emily and I had to deal with."

A look of dawning comprehension passed over Remus's face. "That's right, Emily was a friend of mine from school. She asked me to witness for you both," he said grinning brightly. "How is she now? It's been ages since I have seen her." He was finally able to relax with the Healer, realizing that he had known him for years.

"She and I have a little girl, she just turned five last week. Emily would be happy to know that you have finally found someone," Curtis said with a wide smile. Remus was glad to know that Emily was happy.

Tonks shot a glance at Remus, knowing that it would be good to have allies. "We'd love to have you guys over for dinner sometime. I'll actually be working in the hospital from time to time as well, Curtis. Remus and I were hired by Minister Weasley as heads of the werewolf liaison office in the Ministry of Magic."

Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "It's good to meet some others of us who are on the good side"  
Healer Curtis looked at her then at Remus. "Fenrir's been causing you trouble, hasn't he?"

Remus nodded, "Yes, he won't leave us alone. He wants Tonks for some reason, and we can't get away from him," he had the feeling that he could talk to Curtis about their problems, all of them. "He was outside of our house during our mating ceremony."

"That's very odd." Curtis said, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Surely he knows that you are mated and that can't be broken. Very strange indeed."

Tonks gave an involuntary shudder as she remembered the terror that he had put them through. "He's so unstable. Merlin only knows what he will try next. "

Deciding to turn the conversation to a more happy topic, she smiled at Curtis. "We are planning to get married within the month at Hogwarts. We would be honored if you and Emily and your little girl would join us."

"I'm sure that Emily and Candice would enjoy that," Curtis said with a smile and then he changed his manner back to brisk. "If you two are serious about having a family, we need to set up regular consultations, either monthly or bi-monthly."

Remus turned to look at Tonks, "I think we should meet again in a few weeks, and then go from there," he said softly, squeezing her hand. "I want to try a few things first."

"Okay, that sounds great. We'll meet, let's say, on the 24th, does that sound okay?" Curtis said, looking at his calendar. "It's about a week before the next full moon."

"I think that will work for us." Tonks smiled at the healer, then thought of a nagging question that she'd had since he told them about his daughter. "Healer Curtis? Your daughter, is she...?"

He smiled at them, his finger templed at his chin. "Candice is a normal little girl, she doesn't transform at the full moon, we end up sending her to my mother's house that night. She knows that her parents aren't like other parents, even at five years old. We are incredibly grateful that she hasn't gone through five years of transformations. We made sure to take every precaution during the full moons."

Remus nodded, "I understand, we will try to be cautious for the sake of our children."

Tonks smiled at Curtis, "Thank you so much for your help. We'll have the three of you over for dinner one night and we can talk more, if that would be okay?" She had some questions she really wanted to ask Emily that were more of a female nature.

"That sounds perfect. I am looking forward to it. It's been wonderful seeing you again, Remus, and I'm very happy for the two of you. Please let me know if you have any other questions."

They thanked Curtis and walked out of his office. When they were alone again, Tonks smiled and turned to Remus, taking his hand. "Imagine seeing him after all these years."

"It's just funny that I didn't recognize him, if I had seen a picture of Emily on his desk I would have known it was him. He has changed a lot since the last time I saw him," Remus said thoughtfully. They flooed back to the house and went into the kitchen to eat lunch and discuss what Curtis had told them.

Tonks made them each huge roast beef sandwiches and poured them each some butterbeer. "Curtis was really nice. I think it's great that he has started this for werewolf couples. "

"Was Emily bit when she was young too?"

Remus looked at her for a moment and then sighed sadly. "Emily was bit during the Christmas Holidays of our seventh year. She went skiing with a few of her friends and her boyfriend at the time, Robert Craig. It was her turn to go and get firewood, and apparently Fenrir had been watching her for some time. He attacked her in the woods; she was found by Robert an hour later after she didn't return. She was diagnosed with lycanthropy soon afterwards and Robert broke up with her. It was terrible, no one should have to go through what she did. Most of her friends deserted her, but I didn't," he said slowly.

Tears of sadness filled Tonks' eyes as she listened to Emily's story. "That is horrible. I'm not excusing what her boyfriend and other friends did, but I guess it's understandable even if it's wrong. Unfortunately, everyone judges us by those like Fenrir. They think that we're all monsters. I'm glad that she had a friend like you, Remus."

"We're lucky that we have friends who are humans and accept us for who and what we are. I think that was one thing I was really afraid of when I first was bit. Of course, I've always been an oddball. I just get a little 'hairier' once a month," She said, winking at him.

"Tonks, do you understand what I said about Emily?" he asked looking into her eyes. "Do you know why Curtis seemed to know why Fenrir was after us?" He didn't exactly want to explain it, but he knew that it was very important. He knew the problems that Emily and Curtis had had trying to find witnesses and a place to hold their mating ceremony. He knew that Curtis would understand, but he needed Tonks to understand more.

Tonks blushed slightly, grinning sheepishly. "I guess I don't understand, Remus."

He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "You aren't the first female that Fenrir has been after; he actually chose Emily to be his Lupa. When she found Curtis, they fell in love instantly and decided to preform the mating ceremony as soon as they could. They were mated four months after they met. Fenrir found out and he hunted them for over a year afterward. He wants a Lupa, and he doesn't want to go to the trouble of hand choosing another one. There aren't very many in Britain to my knowledge," he finished.

Tonks shuddered uncomfortably. "That means he's not going to give up, doesn't it? I'm glad that we're mated, that he can't have me. But that isn't going to stop him from trying, is it?"

She thought about what he had told her and sighed. "He's crazy if he thinks that any self respecting female werewolf is going to willingly give herself to him. I mean, the mating ceremony that we did was with love and with passion. Can it be done with force? If he bit another woman and then hunted her down and raped her in wolf form would they still be bound together?"

Her question took him by surprise and he thought about it. "I think that is a question for Curtis, I wouldn't think that you could bond with someone if there was anger, hurt, and hatred involved. There wouldn't be a deep bond between them," he said thoughtfully. Fenrir would never get a lupa if those were the rules. "Love, you are a genius," he said excitedly.

Tonks smiled self consciously and squeezed Remus' hand. "Thanks for saying so, but only stands to reason. Of course there might be someone demented enough to want to be with him, but let's hope not."

Deciding to change the subject matter because the topic was getting her a bit upset, Tonks took a swig of butterbeer then looked at Remus. "So, I have something I need to ask you. For over a month now I have sported the same look since I haven't tried changing myself since I became a werewolf. Do you like my original look, or should I try changing it again and see if it works?"

He grinned and tugged on one of her auburn locks of hair. "I really like this color for you, but I will admit that I miss your radical looks. I was partial to your bubblegum pink hair," he teased. "I liked making you blush, your cheeks would match the color of your hair." He wanted to see if she could change her appearance, not because he was tired of how she looked, but he loved the way she would change her looks to match her mood. "Go ahead and try it love."

Tonks thought about having the bubble gum pink hair, holding her longer hair out to see if it worked. To her dismay, it didn't. Her hair remained auburn. She tried doing the tomato nose trick. No dice.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. Putting on a brave facade, she said, "I guess I don't need it anymore."

She remembered the first time she had changed her appearance and the reason why. Maybe the time had come to tell Remus.

"Give it time Dora, I think your body is just still trying to get used to the changes. I'm sure it will come back to you in time," he said and stroked her hand gently. He loved her, and he hated to see her hurting in any way. Especially since this was something that she loved so much.

Tonks smiled at him and gazed into his eyes. "I think that it has gone, Remus, and I will tell you why. I have never told anyone else this before..." She paused and took a drink of butterbeer.

"I didn't know that I was a metamorphmagus until I was in my fourth year at Hogwarts. You remember I had that boyfriend named John? Well, looking back on it I realize now he wasn't much of a boyfriend."

She sighed at the memory. "He used to abuse me...physically, sexually, verbally...everything. He told me that I wasn't attractive. So one day, I found myself changing physically to try and please him without even trying.

Remus didn't say a word, but he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to her chest. He didn't know what to say, all he wanted to do was hold her, kiss her and tell her how much he loved her. He just didn't know how to say it. He rocked her gently in his arms, kissing the top of her head and letting her cry on his shoulder. He wanted to make the man who had hurt her regret what he had done, he wanted her pain to go away. "He obviously wasn't a Gryffindor," he finally managed.

Tonks shook her head. "No, he wasn't...he was a Slytherin. I don't know why I believed his lies, why I didn't tell anyone. I guess I thought I had done something to deserve it."

Tonks sighed, "He was one of Fenrir's friends. He sometimes let the other Slytherins watch while he was torturing me, knowing that they wouldn't turn him in. He swore that he would make me pay if I ever told anyone about it and would send Fenrir after me."

Remus's eyes shot open and he looked down at her. The woman in his arms had suffered horribly at the hands of others, and now it was even worse. "What kind of things did he say to you?" he asked. He didn't really want to know, but he felt that he needed to know. He stroked her back softly and kissed her cheek and hair. "What did he do to you?"

Tonks choked back sobs but took a deep breath. "He told me I was ugly, and that I was stupid. I mean, I wasn't the top of my class but I wasn't stupid."

Telling Remus about the physical part was worse, "He wanted me to have sex with him, but I wouldn't...so he...beat me until I couldn't move and then forced himself on me. I wanted to wait until I had met the man I wanted to be with forever and give him my virginity as a gift."

She was silent for a few minutes, and then began speaking again. "That's why I acted like I did when Fenrir touched me. It brought back so many memories."

He kissed her hair softly and pulled her tighter to him. "I'm so sorry Dora, If I could take your pain away I would do it. No one should have to go through a relationship like that one. You didn't deserve that, no one does." He tilted her face up so that he could look into her eyes. "I love you, and I want to help you forget what he did to you, please."

Tonks wrapped her arms around Remus and snuggled into his chest. "I love you too, Remus. Just hold me and your love will help me forget."

She closed her eyes and began to relax. She felt so safe and secure in his arms. She knew that they were protected in their house and nothing could get in. She was glad that she had confided in him, talking about it really had helped.


	10. Of Meat and Chocolate Cake

The next few days were a flurry of activity for Tonks and Remus. They set their wedding date for August 15th and responded to Dumbledore's letter. They did their best to try and conceive a child, using Remus' ideas and a few of Tonks', and they invited Healer Curtis and Emily over with their daughter for dinner that evening.  
They had gotten a large roast beef, knowing how hungry werewolves got, potatoes, salad fixings, and butterbeer to drink.

"Are you excited about seeing Emily again, Remus?"

He grabbed her around the waist as she tried to set the table and pulled her to him. He looked into her eyes and then his gaze moved down to her mouth. Without hesitating he gave her a slow and lingering kiss intended to make her knees weak. She sighed in his arms and he grinned as they pulled away from each other. "I think it will be good for you to meet another female werewolf," he admitted, but then a reminiscent smile passed over his face, "it will be good to see Emily again. After her attack Dumbledore asked me to be with her on her first transformation. After that we became even closer than we had before, she really was a sweet girl. I'm sure she still is."

Tonks smiled back at him, then nipped at his ear playfully. "It's a wonder you never got together, the two of you. I mean, you two were close. Why was it that you didn't end up together?" She asked, hoping that it wasn't too personal of a question. It had been on her mind since he told her the story.

He smiled and kissed her again. "Actually, we did try to make it work, there was just no spark between Emily and I. We had fun together, enjoyed each other's company, but we both knew it would never be love. Neither of us were willing to settle for less than that." He remembered the awkward feeling he and Emily had shared after their first and only kiss. They had laughed nervously and hugged each other tight. "You are family Remus, part of my pack. Nothing will ever change that I suppose," She had said. He had to agree with her, she had always been more like a little sister taken under his wing than a romantic interest. He was just glad they had agreed on it.

"She is my little sister Dora, I could never see her otherwise," he said with a soft smile.

Tonks smiled back at him. "You know, it's kind of funny when you think about it. You helped her, and now her and her husband will be helping us. There are so many things I want to ask her," She said, trailing her fingertips across his face gently.

With a flick of her wand, she set the table for five, then turned her attention back on Remus. "For example, if I become pregnant what happens to the baby when I transform?"

Remus pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled down at her. "You can ask them all the questions you want tonight, I'm sure they will answer anything you ask. I wish I could tell you, but you are going to have to realize that your Ulfric may be older and wiser in the way of the werewolf, but he doesn't know everything," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. He hugged her tight and was content to have her relax against them while they waited for their guests.

Tonks chuckled, then remembered something. Using her wand again, she summoned a box which contained the chocolate frog cards that she had put aside to give Candice.

"I went through my chocolate frog cards and made her a little collection of ones that I had multiples of. I thought maybe she would enjoy looking at them while the grownups talk."

Just then they heard a whoosh from the fireplace and Curtis, Emily and Candice emerged. Emily cleaned off Candice and smiled at Remus and Tonks.

"You must be Tonks, I have heard so much about you. It sure has been a long time, Remus."

"Emily," Remus said in a cheerful voice. She grinned and they enveloped each other in a tight hug. "It's been much too long, I've missed you cub," he teased and Emily blushed.

"It's just like you to treat me like your little sister after all of these years," she said with a wide smile. She caught her daughter's eye, hiding behind Curtis's legs. "Candice, come meet mommy's friends."

The little girl walked over and took her mother's hand, looking at everyone nervously. She caught Remus's eyes and a dazzling smile crossed her face. "Uncle Remus?" she asked her mother. Emily nodded and Remus felt his throat constrict. Emily had never forgotten him, not in all the years they had been apart. It warmed his heart.

"Hello Candice," he said bending down to her height and holding out his hand. She didn't take it, instead she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. He was taken by surprise, but he hugged her back tightly. "This is Dora," he told the little girl as she looked up at Tonks with questioning eyes.

Tonks squatted down to greet the little girl too. "Very nice to meet you, Candice. Your daddy has told us so much about you." The little girl was beautiful. She had long brown hair in a pigtail and big blue eyes. "You can call me Aunt Dora if you like."

"Okay, Aunt Dora!" Candice said, throwing her arms around Tonks and giving her a hug as well.

"She's beautiful, Emily and Curtis. Just beautiful."

"Thank you. It's so nice to finally meet you as well, Dora," Emily said, giving Tonks a hug. "I've heard a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Emily."

"Well, I don't want to be a spoil sport and ruin this nice chatter we have here, but I'm starving," Curtis said with a wink. Remus chuckled and led everyone into the kitchen where he and Tonks had laid out a large dinner for everyone.

"We are having Roast, potatoes, and an assortment of delicious things," Remus said as they all took their seats. "My Dora is an amazing cook."

Tonks passed the plates and smiled. She really wanted to talk about their appointment with Curtis, but wasn't sure if Candice knew.

"So, are you two like my mummy and daddy? Are you werewolves?"

Emily stifled a chuckle and turned to Candice. "Now Candice, that is not polite."

"It's okay, Candice. Yes, we are werewolves. Just like your mummy and daddy."

Remus grinned at the little girl, she was very astute. "Candice, how much do you know about werewolves?" he asked, very interested in what her parents had told her. When he and Tonks had children he wanted to be able to handle them the way Emily and Curtis handled their own child. Candice looked up at him with big blue eyes and when she smiled he noticed that she was missing one of her teeth, it was incredibly endearing.

"I know lots of things!" she said excitedly, bouncing up and down in her chair, "Mummy and Daddy drink a funny smelling potion for a week when the moon is gonna be big and round. Then I get to go to Nana's for a few days. She says that Mummy and Daddy grow hair and howl at the moon. I don't see why they never do that fun stuff around me."

Emily chuckled. "Well, we wanted to be honest with her about things. But she does understand that she can't talk about it with her friends, right Candice?"

"Of course, Mummy. It's our little secret. Yo know what, Uncle Remus? I have a secret too!" She said, looking around secretively and then beaming at him, "I can do magic. Well, I can't really do magic. Someday Mummy says I'll get to go to Hogwarts. But now I just do it sometimes."

"Hogwarts is a great place, Candice. Your Uncle Remus and I went there, along with your mummy and daddy. By the way, if you eat all your dinner, I have something really yummy for dessert. But you have to clean your plate."

"We get to have dessert?" Candice asked excitedly look at her parents. Emily smiled and glanced pointedly at Candice's still uneaten portion of roast beef. The little girl leaned over toward Remus and as if she were going to tell him the most important secret in the world said, "I hate meat."

Remus burst out laughing, unable to keep himself under control. He could just imagine the dinner times at their house, the poor child must have been fed dozens of different types of meat in her life because of the way her parents were. He turned to look at Emily who was trying hard to keep a stern look on her face, but couldn't manage it. "We have some salad too if she would rather have that," he suggested.

Emily smiled at her daughter. "Don't worry about the meat, sweetheart, just eat your salad and vegetables." Turning to Tonks and Remus, she apologized, "I'm so sorry, I should have warned you."

"Think nothing of it, Emily. It's fine, really. I'll just remember to have plenty of veggies for you when you come over again, Candice."

"Thank you Aunt Dora. Do you think you and Uncle Remus could show me some cool magic after we have our dessert? I know I can't do magic yet with a wand, but I want to see what I can do someday."

Remus grinned down at Candice as she ate her salad with dainty bites, wiping her mouth after every bite to make sure she got rid of all the excess dressing. "I think Dora and I can show you some 'cool magic'," he said turning a smile on Tonks. Their eyes met and they shared a private smile across the table.

"My Mummy and Daddy do that too. What's so interesting about someone else's eyes?" Candice said with an exasperated sigh.

Emily chuckled, "Well, Candice it's just something that people do when they are in love. You'll understand someday when you're older."

Tonks stood up and saw everyone had finished eating. "Are we all ready for some dessert?" She asked.

"I know I am!" Candice bounced up and down excitedly.

"Hmm..I hope you like chocolate cake because that's what we're having."

Candice began to chatter excitedly as Tonks left the kitchen to go and get the cake from the pantry. "I think she may need some help bringing it in here," he told her with a wink and left the children in the care of her parents and followed Tonks into the pantry. He shut the door and pulled her tightly against him. "I needed to touch you," he whispered against her neck as he kissed it softly. They held each other, nearly forgetting that they weren't alone. "I think they are going to realize that we weren't just trying to find a cake," he teased as they walked back out of the large pantry.

Candice looked excited as she saw Tonks and Remus coming out with the cake. "You guys took so long in there! I didn't think you were ever going to come out!"

Tonks laughed. "She doesn't miss much, does she?"

Emily smiled at her daughter. "No she doesn't."

Candice looked at the cake, and then looked at the table. "There aren't any plates to eat it off of. There are just our supper dishes."

"Oh, yeah, I knew I forgot something." Tonks waved her wand and sent all the dirty dishes to the sink, then brought out clean forks and plates for the cake. "How's that? Better?"

Remus let everyone else eat Tonks' cake while he watched them. After spending so many years eating it with the Marauders, he had quite an aversion to it, though he willingly kept some on hand for others in case they were feeling off color. "It looks delicious love," he said smiling softly at Tonks.

"Why aren't you having any? Do you have a tummy ache Uncle Remus?" Candice asked worriedly as she looked at the empty space in front of him.

"Candice, why do you hate meat sweetheart?" he kindly asked the little girl. Her face scrunched up at his question.

"I don't like meat cause we have it all the time, we never eat anything else," she said simply.

"That's the same reason I don't like chocolate. My friends and I ate it all the time and I got sick of it," he explained. She seemed to understand, yet she was still confused to why anyone would hate chocolate.

"Well, when you don't want your chocolate you can give it to me, and I'll give you my meat," Candice said, taking a big bite of cake.

"Candice! Eat slowly. The cake isn't going anywhere," Emily said sternly. "You must let me have this recipe, Dora. This is delicious."

When dessert was finally over, Tonks got up and got the box she had put aside for Candice. "I have something to give you Candice. I thought maybe you'd like to look at these while your mummy, daddy, Uncle Remus and I talk, and then we'll show you some magic." She handed the box to the little girl.

The adults left Candice to her own devices as she opened up the box of chocolate frog cards. She gasped with delight over each card and the adults moved into the corner of the room where they sat on the comfortable and worn furniture. "You must have a million questions for us," Emily began and both Tonks and Remus nodded. She smiled at them and then at her husband. "There is a lot of joy in being a werewolf couple. You get to experience things that many other couples could never even dream of, the mating of course being a more obvious one. There are hardships as well, and I won't deny them."

"We have been doing a lot of talking about things. One thing that we were both wondering is, when you were pregnant with Candice how did that affect her when you transformed?"

"Well, when your body transforms, everything transforms. Obviously, it didn't affect her adversely. She's a normal child, no trace of the werewolf gene."

Tonks took Remus' hand and squeezed it. "That's good to know."

Outside, a small pop was heard as an unwelcome guest arrived at the house. He knew that he couldn't get inside but that wasn't going to stop him from seeing if he could give the people inside a good scare, especially the young girl.

Remus suddenly went still, the hair on the back of his neck was prickling uncomfortably. "He's here," he whispered softly. Emily and Curtis shared a terrified look and Emily turned to her daughter.

"Candice sweetie, come show mummy what you are playing with," Emily called out. Candice hurriedly threw all the cards haphazardly into the box and brought it over to her mother. Remus could tell that Emily was relieved to have her child close to her.

"I'm so sorry for inviting you here," Remus tried to apologize as they all listened intently to the shuffling of feet outside.

Tonks hurriedly put a silencing charm on the wall closest to the room they were in so that they wouldn't hear him. Turning to Emily and Curtis, she said quietly, "Don't worry, the house is guarded by many wards. He can't get in. Remus did it after an incident over a month ago."

Candice looked scared. "Is that the big bad wolf outside, Mummy?"

Emily hugged her daughter to her chest while Curtis wrapped his arms around them. "He can't get in and hurt you Candice, Uncle Remus has protected the house," Emily explained to her crying daughter. She kissed the top of her head and patted her back soothingly.

Remus watched them with with a mixture of worry and longing. He was terrified that Fenrir would be outside the house now, trying to get back at them all for defying him, and yet he wished that he and Tonks had children that they would protect and love like Candice was loved. A noise outside the kitchen door brought his attention to that room. "He's outside the door," he whispered to Tonks.

Tonks thought fast. "Maybe we ought to all go down into the safe room," She whispered, a note of fear in her voice. "I don't think he can get past the wards but that is more heavily guarded than the rest of the house."

A growl and long howl was heard outside.

"How is he changing without it being the full moon, Remus?" Emily asked as she rocked Candice back and forth.

"He is an older werewolf than you or I am Emily; sometimes they can change at will," he said softly, trying not to alert Candice to the worry in his voice. "He would have to stay in his wolf form for nearly seven hours though if he wanted to change back without having to sleep for a day. It requires a lot of energy to transform at will, and if he tries to change back too soon after transforming," he paused and smiled, "He won't be after us for much longer this evening."

Tonks thought of the chocolate frogs that Remus had given her as part of her birthday present. Remembering what Remus had said about chocolate helping when you were scared, she summoned five of them and handed one of them to Candice. "Eat these, it will help you feel better." She passed one out to Emily and Curtis, and then ate one herself. "Remus, have one too. For me."

Looking at Emily and Curtis, she smiled. "Remus was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for a year at Hogwarts. He was always giving the children chocolate."

"One of the best cures around," Curtis said, laughing nervously. 

"I think they all enjoyed the chocolate more than my teaching," he said with a grin, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Uncle Remus, you taught at Hogwarts?" Candice asked as she nibbled at her chocolate frog. She was cuddled into her mothers arms, her terrified look gradually fading from her face.

"I taught for one year, and then I decided that I wasn't safe around the children there," he explained. He was going to leave out the specific details because he didn't want to scare her.

"That's not fair!" Candice said, scrunching up her face. "I bet you were the bestest teacher that Hogwarts ever saw!"

"He was," Tonks said with pride. "One day you'll be able to read about it in your Hogwarts: A History book. Do you like books, Candice?"

"I love books! Of course, I can't read that good myself yet, but Mummy reads to me."

"Do you like stories Candice?" Remus asked with a soft smile. They had succeeded in getting the child's mind off of Fenrir, and he intended to keep it that way. She nodded as she realized that he was about to tell her one. "Do you know the story of the Boy-Who-Lived and the girl who loved him?" Candice looked up at her mother.

"Isn't that Harry Potter?" she asked her. Emily grinned at her daughter.

"Yes it is, Remus is very close to him and his friends," she explained, smoothing down her daughters hair. Candice's eyes grew round. 

"Could I meet him someday?"

"I think we can arrange that, Candice," Tonks said with a smile. "In fact your Uncle Remus and I are going to get married very soon. Would you like to be my flower girl for the wedding? Harry and his friends will be there, and it's going to right at Hogwarts. You'll be able to see where we and your parents went to school"  
"Oh Aunt Dora, that would be great! Thank you!" Feeling better, she wiggled off of Emily's lap and ran over to Tonks to give her a hug.

Remus smiled at them all and then feigned a look of hurt. "Did you not want to hear my story then?" he asked. Candice immediately climbed onto his lap and looked at him expectantly. "Well you see, it all began with James and Lily I suppose. I don't remember two people who were ever more in love than they were, though they argued constantly and teased each other mercilessly," he began.

"Do you remember the time Professor McGonagall gave them a detention because they wouldn't stop arguing during Transfiguration class?" Emily asked with a glint in her eyes. Remus laughed and Curtis and Tonks listened intently.

"They were supposed to be polishing the trophies in the Trophy room. I found them an hour later snogging in a broom closet in the back corner. Professor McGonagall didn't give them any detentions together after that," he said winking at Tonks.

"Oooo I know all about snogging. My mummy and daddy do that a lot!" She said, giggling.

Emily blushed. "Now Candice," she said, laughing, "I'm sure Uncle Remus and Aunt Dora don't want to hear about that."

"Why not? Snogging's fun!" Tonks said, going over and planting a big kiss on Remus' lips.

"Ewww, more icky snogging. So, now that you are done snogging with Aunt Dora, can you tell me the rest of the story pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?" She said, her eyes wide. "And no more snogging parts!"

Remus tousled Candice's hair and smiled thoughtfully. "Now, where did I leave off?" he teased.  
"Uncle Remus!" Candice whined and he laughed.

"Oh yes, I remember now. Well, when James and Lily died they left Harry with a lasting protection, it was their love for him that kept saving him from Voldemort," he explained and he heard a crashing noise outside the kitchen. His eyes met Curtis's and the man understood and he went to check it out while Remus kept Candice interested in the story. "Harry entered school and became best friends with a boy named Ron Weasley, as it turned out, Ron had a younger sister."

Curtis went to check out the crashing noise and found another animal was outside fighting with the wolf. He couldn't tell what it was but the animal was finally able to chase Fenrir off, then the animal itself ran off into the night.

Coming back out to where the rest were, he smiled. "He's gone. Some huge animal chased him off. I don't think he'll be back tonight."

Tonks breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness."

Remus took her hand and squeezed it tightly, he was relieved that Fenrir wasn't going to bother them anymore tonight. "How are you doing sweetheart? You aren't scared anymore?" Remus asked Candice tenderly. The little girl smiled up at him.

"Course I'm not afraid Uncle Remus, I'm a big girl," she said nodding. He tousled her hair and grinned at the way she could handle things. "You gonna finish your story?" she asked.

"I completely forgot," he teased her, "so where was I?"

Tonks smiled at him. "I think you were telling her about James and Lily's love life. But I really think she'd rather hear about Harry Potter, wouldn't you sweetheart?"

Candice nodded happily. "I can't wait to meet him! Everyone talks about how famous he is and everything."

Emily glanced at her watch. "I just realized how late it's getting and someone needs to get to bed." She said, looking at Candice.

"Aw, Mummy, I want to stay up some more."

"Tell you what. We'll have Uncle Remus and Aunt Dora over real soon so he can finish the story, okay?" Turning to Tonks and Remus, she smiled. "How does that sound to you two?"

Remus hugged Candice tight and then turned to Emily. "We would love to see your family whenever you have time to see us," he said and hugged his friend tightly.

"Do we have to go mum?" Candice complained. Emily and Curtis smiled at their daughter and took her hands in theirs.  
"It's time for us to leave, we intruded on their hospitality for long enough," Curtis said with a wink at Remus and Tonks. Everyone exchanged goodnights and suddenly they were gone from the house, leaving Tonks and Remus once again alone.

"Curtis and Emily are great," Tonks said, giving Remus a kiss and a hug, "but I couldn't wait for them to leave so that I could be alone with you again."

She pressed her body up against his and trailed her fingers over his back. "I missed you so much."

He grinned as he returned her soft kiss. "I don't think I will ever get tired of holding you in my arms," he admitted as he ran his hands up and down her arms. "I never expected to feel so dependent on another person. I guess we all have to grow up and accept the facts sooner or later. We all need someone in our lives to complete us." He took her hand and kissed it softly, looking into her eyes. "Come upstairs with me?"

Tonks smiled coyly at him. "Do you really need to ask me?" She said, laughing. As she followed him up the stairs, she said pensively, "Candice is such a sweet little girl. I hope that one day we have a son or daughter just like her."

"Do you think Emily would like to be in the wedding? As one of my attendants?"

He grinned down at her and placed a kiss on her smiling lips. "I think Emily would love to be an attendant, as far as I know she doesn't have many friends because she is a werewolf. I know that your friendship would mean a lot to her," he said softly. He opened the door to their room and led the way in. "Do you have any other ideas for getting pregnant love?" There was a twinkle in his eye as he shut the door behind them, "I am looking forward to trying yet again."

Tonks smiled sadly. "That's horrible that she doesn't have many friends. Perhaps we should introduce her and Curtis to our circle of friends, we know how they treat us and I know they would treat them the same way."

"As for ideas for getting pregnant," She said, smiling in a toothy way, "I think maybe we should try it where I take charge, what do you think?"

She pounced on him and they landed together on their bed.

"Love, I think you are right. I think Emily and Curtis would be well accepted with our friends," he said pressing a searching kiss to her lips. His hands moved over her, "As for your other idea, I think I can let you take charge for one night." 


End file.
